End of proof of vaccination mandate in Sask. also brings end of Vax Verifier app

Saskatchewan's vaccine requirement program is history.

On Monday morning just after midnight, the province ended its proof of vaccination or negative test mandate for businesses, workplaces and venues such as bars or restaurants.

The end of the policy also brings the shutdown of an app that establishments could use to scan QR codes for proof of vaccination.

"Beginning today, eHealth Saskatchewan is in the process of decommissioning the SK Vax Verifier app," said the Government of Saskatchewan on its website.

New users hoping to get the online tool will no longer be able to download it, according to the province.

Businesses who have been using it in the past "will be asked to delete the app from their device," said the government.

SK Vax Wallet app remains available for now

COVID-19 vaccination records including a QR code will continue to be available on MySaskHealthRecord, the province said.

That means people still have access to the SK Vax Wallet app "for the foreseeable future," said the government.

While the provincial vaccine requirement program has come to an end, people from Saskatchewan might still need proof of vaccination when traveling to other jurisdictions, such as British Columbia.

All remaining public health orders related to the pandemic, including mandatory indoor masking in public spaces, will be removed in Saskatchewan as of Feb. 28.

Yoga studio drops vaccination requirement even though they think it's too soon

Bodhi Tree Yoga never used the Vax Verifier app to check its students' vaccination status.

By the time the province implemented the proof of vaccination requirement in October 2021 and the online tool became available to businesses, the yoga studio had already been requiring visitors to be vaccinated for months.

"[When we started] we faced a pretty intense backlash and just received a lot of threatening phone calls and emails," said Colin Hall, co-owner of Bodhi Tree Yoga.

Hall thinks it is too soon to drop the mandate in Saskatchewan.

However, to avoid any potential hateful messages, the yoga studio decided to discontinue its proof of vaccination requirement.

Last week, Premier Scott Moe said establishments that choose to continue requiring proof-of-vaccination after the province's mandate is lifted will not have legal protection, as they did while the mandate was in place.

"My advice to them would be to consult their lawyer," the premier said.

"Private businesses [are] free to do what they choose but they also may have some consequences that would be a result of that."

Hall said Moe's comment felt a bit like a threat and discouraged him and his wife from continuing to requirevaccination at the studio.

"We are at this point exhausted and just don't have that much fight left in us," he said.

So far yoga students seem to beunderstanding of the studio's decision to remove the policy, said Hall.

On Monday, he said he couldn't tell yet what effect the end of the mandate will have on attendance.

"There's a chance that there's people who were coming to classes in person that will no longer be doing so as of today," he said.

"We're going to maintain our live streaming classes and have online options for people in the event that they don't feel comfortable coming out to in-person classes anymore."

LISTEN| Premier Moe talks about ending COVID-19 restrictions on The Morning Edition:

Mixed reactions from businesses in Saskatoon, survey suggests

Some businesses in Saskatoon would have preferred a more phased-out approach to the proof of vaccination/negative test policy, according to Jason Aebig, CEO of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce.

This would have allowed "affected businesses to unwind their policies and communicate the change to their employees and customers," he said in an email to CBC.

His comment was based on recent feedback the organization received from its members through a survey.

Earlier this month, when asked in the survey about their feelings in regard to the province potentially ending the current proof of vaccine policy, 60 per cent of respondents said they would haveliked to see it removed by the end of February.

Thirty-two per cent answered "do not remove."

Forty-six per cent of survey respondents said they would still implement the policy if it was no longer in place and they were legally able to require proof of vaccination, according to the survey.