The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) will be deciding in the new year whether to purchase scanners for proof of vaccination checks at recreation facilities.
Graeme Donn, the SCRD manager of recreation services, told Coast Reporter the SCRD would need a couple dozen scanners to be spread across the five recreation facilities for use at programs, rentals, spectator events and at the front desks.
As a local government, the SCRD is required to follow privacy acts, and would need to do a privacy impact assessment and staff training. They are not able to use personal phones for the scans and staff would need to have individual logins.
“We’re following all provincial guidance and directions,” Donn said on Nov. 30. “We do have this other option that’s working really well.”
The provincial government allows two ways to check vaccination status at different facilities. Staff can scan the QR code provided on the provincial vaccination passport or visually confirm the passport against a valid piece of I.D.
The SCRD’s recreation facilities have a lot of regular staff at the front desks as well as many regular users, he said.
“If the same person comes in every morning, same time, we’ve checked their vax passport already and we know they’re good to go, we might just give them the green light as they go in,” Donn said. “That kind of helps with our flow of patrons through the rec facilities.”
Many of the facilities are seeing full capacity and frequent lineups, especially the Sechelt Aquatic Centre, he added.
The public health order requiring proof of vaccination at recreation facilities began in September and was expanded to include spectators at some events in November.
The vaccination checks are expected to expire at the end of January, Donn noted.
“If the province decides to increase the duration of those checks, then I would imagine we’re going to get those scanners. It is a little bit quicker of a method and it’s better for the big 150 spectator groups. But we just want to make sure if we do go that route that we can apply it across all five rec centers,” he said. “It’s on the table, we’re looking at it, it just takes some time.”
Not all recreation programs or events require vaccination confirmation, such as going to the pool. A full list of what is or is not required can be found at www2.gov.bc.ca/vaccinecard.html.
