NL Vaccine Passport System goes into effect on October 22

The province has officially launched the NLVaxPass and NLVaxVerify apps for the vaccine passport.

In two weeks from today the vaccine passport system will go into full effect, preventing unvaccinated people from going to non-essential businesses and events, but many wonder what that will mean for the employees of those businesses.

Prime Minister Andrew Furey addressed unvaccinated workers who work at companies where they are now required. He hopes that “forward-looking companies” and their employees have encouraged vaccines and that such situations should be limited.

He says that for those employees who have not been vaccinated, there will be a grace period of up to December 1, which he says is similar to what will be announced next week for public employees.

Meanwhile, as vaccine passports roll out, some companies have expressed concern that their frontline workers are tasked with enforcement.

The Dutch Minister of Digital Government and Services, Sarah Stoodley, says the app will show everyone if they meet the public health criteria, hopefully reducing the number of people trying to access businesses.

Furey says they recognize the fear the system can cause in frontline workers.

Will the system be a little disruptive? The Prime Minister says yes. Furey says everything is disruptive at the moment and he is confident the system will work.

AnnMarie Boudreau, van @stjohnsbot , asks that these new measures not deter people from shopping locally @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/0DmDX26wx9

— Richard Duggan (@RDugganVOCM) October 7, 2021

The provincial government says the ID requirements associated with the vaccine passport are relatively flexible.

In order to access a business, a person must also provide proof of identity to confirm that the QR code actually belongs to them.

For children and teenagers between 12 and 18 years old, an MCP card or birth certificate is sufficient.

Prime Minister Andrew Furey says original copies are not necessary either. Children can use a photo or a photocopy of the document.

For adults, photo ID is required. But, explains Minister Sarah Stoodley of Digital Government and Services NL, those requirements are also flexible.

She says an expired ID is acceptable because they only use it to check if a person’s name and photo match.

According to Stoodley, adults who do not have photo ID are encouraged to contact the department and arrangements will be made to obtain one.

The county is urging people to treat their personal vaccine passport QR codes the same as any other personal information and to keep it as private as possible.

The government has launched the NLVaxPass and NLVaxVerify apps for use with the documents.

They insist that the codes are not shared and say that only the official government apps are used to store and read the codes.

Those apps, they say, are safe and personal information is not uploaded or sent anywhere.

However, the concern comes from other apps that can read the codes.

Minister of Digital Government and Services NL Sarah Stoodley explains that the QR codes for the passport are very advanced and contain a key specific to this province that protects the information.

She says malicious apps shouldn’t read the codes, but to be safe, people shouldn’t share them, and companies should only use the government’s app to read them.

Here’s how to get your QR code. There will also be a phone number available for those who don’t have access to a printer to have their code mailed to them@VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/LRsgdrOjHC

— Richard Duggan (@RDugganVOCM) October 7, 2021

To get a QR code of the vaccination booklet, residents can download the app, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Portal or MyGovNL.

Those who don’t have access to technology can call 1-833-951-3859 to request a printed copy, or visit a public library.