Canada’s chief health officer says provincial vaccine passports and other health measures need to be “re-examined” as Canada deals with the Omicron variant.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday that Canada needs to find a more “sustainable” way to deal with COVID-19 and that all existing public health policies, including provincial vaccine passports, need to be “re-examined” in the coming weeks, the CBC reports.
“What we need to do going forward, as we emerge out of this Omicron wave, is recognize this virus is not going to disappear,” she said. “We do need to get back to some normalcy.”
As trucker protests rock Ontario, a new online survey by Research Co. finds 56% of Canadians are satisfied with the way the federal government has managed the pandemic, down seven points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in December of last year.
Fewer Canadians are also content with the way municipal governments (57%, -7) and provincial governments (51%, -11) are handling COVID-19, the survey said.
A recent Angus Reid survey found a strong majority of Canadians (54%) feel it’s time to relax travel and other restrictions in Canada.
Canadian provinces this week eased many of their restrictions on restaurants and other activities, and provincial leaders suggest more of the same is on the way.
The Justin Trudeau government has been very careful about the pandemic, but it also responds strongly to polls, and often issues clues about its intentions a week or two in advance. Having Tam say that restrictions need to be “reexamined” sounds like a fairly strong indication of what could come in the next few weeks.
Still, Research Co.’s survey found that the concept of “vaccine passports” continues to be backed by majorities of Canadians for travel abroad (70%, down three points), to a different province (68%, -3 points) and within the same province (62%, -2).
Practically two thirds of Canadians also think it is a good idea to rely on “vaccine passports” to go to live sporting events (69%, -2), visit a gym or fitness facility (68%, -3), go to live concerts (also 68%, -3), go to the cinema or theater (67% -5) or work at an office (65%, -3).
