 Good afternoon, everyone. It is good to be here on the traditional territory of the Likongan speaking people, the Esquimalt and Songhees Force nation. I'm joined today by Minister of Health Adrian Dix and Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry to talk about more details around the announcement we made two weeks ago about the implementation of a BC vaccine card. At the outset, I want to say that people have been responding to that announcement by rolling up their sleeves and we've had a 200% increase in the number of people registered for vaccines. Minister Dix will have the decimal point, but as of today, 85% of British Columbians over the age of 12 have received a first dose and 78% have received two doses. This is very good news and extraordinary effort by all British Columbians. I want to commend the public health team for putting in place a vaccination program that was safe, effective and seamless for the vast majority of British Columbians. Vaccines are a vital tool in our tool kit to put COVID-19 behind us. Over the past 19 months, we've been taking extraordinary steps to keep people safe, to reduce the impact on our health care system and keep our businesses open to the greatest extent possible. The implementation of a BC vaccine card will allow us to ensure that those nonessential businesses that have been adversely affected by lockdowns and shutdowns and public health orders can now confidently say to their patrons who have been double vaccinated that they are operating a business that is safe for them to enter and enjoy a meal, enjoy the theater, go to a sporting event. These initiatives are critically important to our success going forward and I'm very excited about the prospects of over the next number of months. These measures that we're putting in place will be mirrored in other jurisdictions across Canada. Already, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba are underway. I'm absolutely confident that other provinces will join in and the federal government following the outcome of the September 20th election will also be taking steps to finalize the initiatives that they've already undertaken at the administrative level to make sure that those who are traveling outside of Canada can do so confidently with immunization data available to other countries and those who are coming into Canada will also be able to prove that they have taken steps to protect themselves and their loved ones by getting two vaccines. But we have seen an unacceptable surge in COVID cases largely among those who have not yet had the opportunity to be vaccinated. I encourage all British Columbians to weigh against their particular point of view today the positive benefits of following so many other British Columbians getting vaccinated to protect yourself to protect your families and allowing us all to move forward keeping our economy going making sure that jobs are still there for people as we go forward into what will be I'm hopeful an absolutely terrific 2022 and beyond. In order for that to happen we all have to unite once again with a common purpose vaccine card as a way to get to those places where we want to be at a sporting event at the theater going out to a movie having dinner with some friends large gatherings can take place with double vaccinations and I want to tell British Columbians that there are many things that the vaccine card is but there are many things that they are certainly not and one of them is not to impede services basic services from government but we do not have to be concerned about not being able to access provincial services, municipal services because you've only had one vaccine or had no vaccines at all so this is not taking away something it's adding to what you're able to do and those are the things that most of us enjoy so much so let's focus on that let's focus on making sure we get those numbers up from 85% to 90% and beyond and we do that by focusing on all of the benefits the vaccine card can bring to British Columbia and with that I'll ask Dr. Henry to go into some of the more intimate details about how this is going to operate over the next number of weeks Thank you very much premier and good afternoon as people here know the responsibility and focus of our teams in public health across the province have been to monitor, reduce risks take steps to protect the health of everybody here in British Columbia when it comes to COVID-19 our goals have always been to reduce sickness and death from the virus to make sure our health care system is not overwhelmed so that people with COVID but also people with every other health issue can get the care that they need and of course to minimize the disruption of society because we know that has effects on our health, our mental health and our physical health as we all know it's not easy and we have tried to find that balance but we are sure we have enough restrictions in place to stop and slow the transmission of the virus as well as allowing as much as possible to happen to keep society open and functioning we want to reduce the risk for everybody and balance that with minimizing disruption and this is the balance that we've worked hard to achieve and right now at this phase in the pandemic we have another tool in our toolbox vaccination and vaccinations have been proving very, very successful in helping us stem the transmission and importantly preventing people from having severe illness ending up in hospital and ICU but we're not yet at a point where we can let down our guard and we have an additional effective tool that has changed the rule I think we need to recognize that nobody likes this virus that we're not having or not happy that we're here right now but we also need to recognize that some have carried a much greater burden loved ones have been lost businesses have been closed and jobs have gone away and health care workers, my colleagues across this province have been put to the test we know now that these vaccines are safe they're effective and they make a difference in stopping transmission stopping people from getting sick and ill and getting vaccinated and showing proof that they can help protect all of us it protects those people who are not yet old enough to be immunized our children so that they can have a normal school year it protects the people whose immune systems aren't functioning as well so that they can continue and it protects our elders and seniors and we've seen that again in areas in the province where we've had pockets of people who are not yet vaccinated it can still spread very rapidly but it's not the case with people who are not yet vaccinated is much, much higher as we've seen it's 12 times greater risk of infection 34 times greater risk of ending up in hospital compared to the same person the same age person so this vaccine card is another tool that we have that allows us to continue to do things safely in those businesses and one of the ways that we can reduce our risk going into the fall season ultimately the choice is yours about whether you choose to be vaccinated or not but what we need to do is make sure that we can continue to keep things open as much as possible and that's what the BC vaccine card is all about without the card optional, discretionary, social recreational events and activities might have needed even more restrictions and measures than what we have in place today so this proof of vaccination will take effect on September 13 and between the 13th and the 24th of October people who have at least one dose of vaccine will be able to access these discretionary social recreational events and activities and then after October 24 it will be fully vaccinated people with two doses or some people who may have received a single dose J&J vaccine in the past. We have put the vaccine card in place to keep businesses open to keep people working and most importantly to keep people safe. If you have not yet been vaccinated that is your choice but these essential activities and services will remain open for you just as the case has been for the last 20 months. You will have alternatives to participate in the settings where proof of vaccination will be required. In order however to minimize disruption for as many people as possible and make these discretionary events and activities as safe as possible these are where proof of vaccine will be required. So let me share the details. As of September 13th I will have new public health orders in place requiring proof of at least one vaccine to access these businesses and events. I will say until September 27th I will have new BC vaccine card and I have more details about that. Or you can also show your vaccine record the card or paper that you received when you were immunized. As of October 24th you will be required to present your BC vaccine card showing you are fully immunized to access the same list. So what we are talking about are indoor ticketed sporting events whether you want to see the canucks or the lions, indoor concerts theater, dance and symphony events so that we can get back to those arts events that we are so missing and being able to do it in a way that we can reassure each other is safe. Licensed restaurants including indoor and patio dining and cafes and restaurants that have table service. So what is not here are fast food restaurants, cafeterias, food courts where people grab and go or drive through. We know that those are much different situations, people are there for a much shorter period of time and it is not practical to require somebody to try and check a vaccine card in those settings. We also are including nightclubs, casinos and areas where people now will be able to be reassured that they can go to these places more safely. Movie theaters as well. We are including some of these high risk settings that have so impacted businesses including fitness centers, businesses offering those indoor recreational classes, indoor high intensity classes like spin classes. This will be that added layer of protection so that businesses don't have continuing clusters and outbreaks and aren't needed to be closed during this coming fall. As well, importantly, organized indoor events. We are gathering limits starting at 50, weddings, parties, conferences, meetings, workshops that are indoor events where people are gathering together with the public. And discretionary organized indoor group recreational classes and activities. These are the activities like seniors fitness classes, for example, where you will now need to show proof of vaccination to attend those safely. As you can see with all of these we have learned other ways of participating. So if you choose not to be immunized then there are ways that you can support your local restaurants by continuing to do takeout by participating in outdoor exercise activities or online activities as well as watching your favorite Canucks game on TV. So what is the BC vaccine card? It is a card that will allow people to conveniently and securely show their proof of vaccination using either a digital which you can see here or a paper version. It will show whether you are either fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated or no record found. And it is very simple. I know many people tried today to enter in some basic information and a card will come up. It will have a QR code and a scanable square shaped image like barcode technology that is readable by a device like a smartphone. But it also will be a paper copy that you can use and verify. And I will show you a picture in a minute. There will be a transition period as I mentioned until September 27 for vaccinated people to obtain their BC vaccine card. During this time your paper record that you got at your immunization clinic will still be able to be used. So here is how you do it. Starting today, and we started this morning with a soft launch, you take these steps. You can either go to gov.bc.ca slash vaccine card and you enter your personal health number, the date of birth, your date of birth and the date of one of your vaccine doses. So that is the way we verify that you are who you are. Then you get your BC vaccine card. You can save it to your mobile device. You can save it to your computer. You can save it by, as I learned this morning, pressing a screenshot and then swiping so that it goes into your pictures on your phone. And then you have your vaccine card ready to present when you go to one of these events or businesses that requires it. For those who have already signed on to the health gateway, you can actually get it very easily through the health gateway as well. But you don't need to sign on to the health gateway to be able to get your card very simply by going to this website on your phone. So this is what it looks like. It will come up on your phone that you have either received both doses of a two-dose vaccine series or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine series that you are partially vaccinated or that there is no record. So what you will see is a very minimum information with a QR code that allows a business to verify whether you have been vaccinated or not. It is important that the website can be used to print your BC vaccine card by following the same steps and then printing from a computer or a phone. And we know that many people aren't so tech-savvy with the phone so there are other ways you can do it. You can do it on a computer. You can ask a friend or family member and we really encourage people to do that to assist you to print your vaccine card. For those who don't have access to a computer or a smart phone, you can call our provincial vaccine line at 1-833-838-2323 and we will help walk you through it and send you a printed card in the mail. Or you can visit one of the 64 service BC centers around British Columbia who can also print your card for you. I do want to say though we know there will be some people who will be patient in the first few days. This service will be available over the next number of weeks. We have a period of time where we're transitioning in where you can still use your vaccine card that you received when you received your immunization. But there are many different ways that you can get this card. You do not have to download an app onto your phone to get your personal BC vaccine card. And then when you arrive at the vaccination, you have either your digital or your paper copy ready and you'll be asked to display it and with a piece of valid government ID that just confirms that that's the same person, that you are the person for whom that vaccine information applies to. We're not going to be requiring government ID for those 12-18, as we know that can be a challenge for people to have that. So for young people 12-18, we're not going to be requiring government ID for those 12-18, as we know that can be a challenge for people to have that vaccination. Families and caregivers or friends you can download or grandparents, you can download others copies on your phone with you or you can have multiple paper copies on your mobile device or by paper. For a business perspective, for verifying a BC vaccine card, you have two options that you can download on your mobile device. Option one is you can download an app that will allow you to scan the QR code. And really importantly, this BC verification app and I'll talk a bit more about it allows you to scan but doesn't collect or store any information. Or you can continue to verify it visually by looking at what is on the paper copy. So the BC vaccine card verifier app will be ready starting next week and it will be downloadable from Google or from the app store and you will be able to verify vaccination status using this app and then look at the person's ID to make sure that they are the person whose card you scanned. The app only reads the COVID-19 vaccination information. No additional health information is stored on the app or on a smartphone that somebody uses to scan. This is available as I mentioned for Apple or Android devices starting on September 13th. So this is kind of what it looks like. One, you download the app onto your phone and you allow access to the camera. Then you use that to either scan the paper copy or the phone copy that somebody has when they come into your business, your restaurant and it tells you the step three there on the right. What it will come up with is a green sign that says vaccinated, a blue sign that says partially vaccinated or no record found. So it's very simple and then you can go on and scan the next one. So businesses as I mentioned can also visually verify either the digital paper or paper copy of the BC vaccine card like checking proof of age for alcohol sales. You can look at it directly and confirm that it is the person. And for people as I mentioned age 19 and above, you'll have to have government issued ID to verify that you are the person associated with that QR code. As I mentioned, we will be transitioning over the period of the next three weeks up until September 26. You can still use your paper record. But these paper records we know have more information on them that's visible to people as well. And the QR code is more secure because it's directly related to the information that's stored in our immunization registry. So starting September 27, the BC vaccine card will be the only accepted form of proof. And businesses, however, will still have the option of viewing or scanning the paper or digital BC vaccine card. I know that this is a challenge for all of us right now. Everything new means that there's no need to work out the kinks. We've been working with a number of business organizations in the past couple of weeks to put this in place to make it as simple as possible. We have information for businesses including step-by-step instructions that's found on the gov.bc.ca website at vaccine card dash businesses. And we encourage businesses to reach out to their associations and to go online to get more information. As well, we'll be launching an information call line for businesses specifically starting next week where we'll be able to take information and share it on the website, the questions, the issues that are coming up, the best practices that people are using. So that is part of our commitment to engage with businesses as we go through this in the next week and as we roll this out over the next few months. One of the things that we have been most concerned about developing the concept around this is privacy and security. So the BC vaccine card is designed using the global smart health card framework which is internationally recognized criteria for ensuring privacy and security. It uses these QR codes to keep a copy of your record on hand and you have the option of sharing that information with people. We are requiring businesses to use the BC app to get information so it only comes up with a report that tells you whether you are vaccinated or not so the business knows. There is no downloading of information and very importantly there is no connection to other health information that you might have. This type of technology has been widely used for proof of COVID vaccinations very similar to Quebec and other places are using as well and it is a framework that other laboratories will be building on and we are working with the federal government to make sure that this is the card that you will use eventually when the federal app for international travel becomes more available. It will be interoperable with that and we will be able to access your QR code with the needed information that you will need to travel internationally once that is in place. So these standards as I mentioned store only the absolute minimum information and are not connected to any other health records. But you still need to keep them secure as you would copy of your vaccine card that has your information on them. So don't post your own QR code on social media. If somebody does try to use it though it does have your name on it so again that is why we need a verification with a form of identification. We know as well that our immunization registry has entered over 7.5 million doses of vaccine that there are some people whose doses may not be entered correctly or they may be missing one of their doses. So if there is a problem with your immunization record as you are going to try to get your vaccine card you can update it on the website as well immunization record.gov.bc.ca . This also is for people who are in BC who are students who have been vaccinated, people who have been vaccinated outside of BC. You can go to this and update and submit your immunization records and that will enable you to get your BC vaccine card. Submitting this information is very simple. It takes less than five minutes and we will be adding that into the immunization registry so that you can access your vaccine card as soon as possible. Realistically if we get a large number of vaccines it may take several days before that can happen as much as four to seven days and that is why one of the reasons we have a grace period over the next few months. As well, people who are out of province we have ways to ensure that we can accept their proof of vaccination especially from other Canadian provinces and territories and you have to show your provincial or territorial officially recognized vaccine record and we will have copies available for businesses on the business website so they know what they are looking for as well as corresponding government photo ID. The same goes for people in the Canadian Armed Forces who are immunized through their workplace. They can show their military ID and their vaccine card. For international visitors all of them have to have a proof of immunization on the arrive can app. They can use that with their passport as a way of showing that they are immunizing. We have tried to make this as simple and as practical as possible to make it as easy as possible for those of us who are immunized to obtain the record and for businesses to be able to efficiently scan them. As you know, provincial health officer orders are still in place and these will supplement what we need to do right now as we are moving forward with the BC vaccine card. That means masks will continue to be available to businesses for people 12 and up as they have been. That is that added layer of protection that we need right now with the transmission that we are seeing. As well, we still have capacity limits that are in place under the events and gatherings orders. That means 50 people or 50% capacity, whichever is greater. But what we hope as we move through this next few months with the BC vaccine card is that once it is only immunized to the people who are at these discretionary events, these social events, these businesses will be able to remove those capacity limits because we know that we have mitigated the risk so much of transmission because people are protected in those settings through immunization. I will say as well that all PHO orders are enforceable and that fines can be issued under the orders that we have in place now. We have a number of different officials whether it is the community safety unit, our liquor and cannabis inspectors, environmental health officers, gaming investigators, conservation officers and of course public safety officers or police officers. Obviously the first line of defense is not to call the police. The police are there to support us to support businesses should somebody be disturbing the peace. We have seen that in a few occasions but we know that that is rare. This really is about the ability for us to continue to come together and do these discretionary important social events, arts events, sports events together in a way that keeps each other safe. As I mentioned, these are time limited and the timing may change depending on how we progress but we are hopeful that we will be able to remove some of the restrictions and we will take away that risk of having to shut down or close events or businesses like we had to do last year as transmission increased through the fall. So the BC vaccine card, as I said, is another layer of protection but it is not the only layer. Mass continue to be required and of course it goes without saying that all of those important things that we do, staying away if we are not feeling well ourselves, getting tested, washing hands, all of the things that we have now learned as part of our day-to-day life getting through this pandemic are going to be continuing important. But the vaccine card gives us an alternative to more restrictive measures in many events and businesses and social situations. It gives us that opportunity to do things in a way that is far closer to what existed before the COVID-19 pandemic. I understand that people are tired and frustrated with COVID-19 and that we are concerned about what lies ahead and what might happen next. Right now we need to focus on getting through this next phase and let's get angry at this virus not at each other and let's continue to support each other whether that's supporting your local arts organization, your sports club, your local restaurant, whether you are vaccinated doing that or continuing to support them by watching online by doing takeout from your local restaurant. We will get through this. We will get through this. This is another tool that we have. We know that these vaccines are very effective and they are protecting people. They are protecting people from hospitalization and severe illness and is protecting our healthcare system. We know that these are the tools that allow us to continue to come together and to have those interactions, to have those businesses, to have those events that we need in our lives. So I encourage everybody to download their vaccine card over the next few days and we will be supporting businesses and working with you as we go through this next few months to get this implemented. We will get through this and we will do that together by doing what we have been doing all along here in BC, that's supporting each other and doing it with kindness and compassion. Thank you. Thank you very much. Dr. Morgan, Dr. Henry, today in British Columbia and it's a significant thing, 7,545,871 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered all over our province. 85.1% of people have received their first dose. 77.6% of people have received their second dose and indeed in the period since we started and since we announced the BC vaccine card was coming. What we've seen is a significant increase in registrations and I want to note who's been leading the way. Leading the way are those aged 18 to 24. 85.5% of whom have been vaccinated their first dose immunization and still this weekend again leading in registrations leading in new bookings that number will go up. This level of confidence that we've seen in the past 17, more than 17 out of every 20 people have been immunized is a reflection of the extraordinary work and the experience of immunization by our talented teams at clinics everywhere in BC by healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, by pharmacists, by the entire healthcare team. The performance has been excellent. It's been done with generosity and safety and I hear every day from people who were, I read about the experience. No one likes to get a shot in general and who have found the experience to be immeasurably positive in their lives and the experience of going to an immunization clinic positive and I want to encourage everybody today, everybody to join all of those people to join that 85.1% and get vaccinated against COVID-19. Doctor Henry stated the numbers pretty clearly, 12 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 if you're unvaccinated. 34 times more likely. 34 to go to hospital. And when you consider what it takes to go to hospital and the significance of that both for our healthcare system but for you as an individual, I think the case is so profoundly strong right now if you haven't been vaccinated to get vaccinated, to book, to register, to register your appointment to go get vaccinated or drop in opportunities. This week focusing on young people 12 to 17, 18 to 30 we're going to continue in working with school districts and working with our post-secondary sector to see there are more and more opportunities particularly for young people to get vaccinated in this time but if you're one of the more than 140,000 people over 60 who have not yet been vaccinated this is an important time as well because your level of risk will have you to make that decision. The BC vaccine card builds on the confidence that this vaccination campaign has shown that confidence that says that in our pandemic we're making the right choice by getting vaccinated. That we're making the best choices and that right now especially with the surge in cases and in hospitalizations we've seen primarily in groups of unvaccinated people we're doing exactly what's necessary to save people's long-term health. I think it's important to recognize that after all we've been through in the last many months including launching the most remarkable and effective vaccination effort our problems has ever seen getting the BC vaccine card is straightforward. Dr. Henry took you through that just a few minutes ago. First, and this is the most important part, get vaccinated. Second, visit gov.bc.ca or print a copy of our BC vaccine card and store it on our phone or print a paper copy. Now for any reason, not able to access the online website to download or print a card, we can still get our BC vaccine card. We can call 1-833-838-2323 to get a copy of our card mailed to us. We can ask a family member or a trusted friend or support person to print our card for us. And let's remember all of us to reach out and help those we know might need our help in getting their BC vaccine card. The BC's vaccine card is a critical new initiative at a key moment in our BC pandemic. And getting it is a step that we're all taking together. One that will see us continue to adapt to make sure that we're not just able to get the card but the businesses can use it to its full potential to give us all additional support. We're also participating in events and activities, those around us are fully vaccinated as well. The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on all of us. Some, of course, more than others. The road back continues to be long and challenging. The BC vaccine card is a welcome milestone on the way, showing how far we've come and just as important that we are all coming back together. We're all coming back together. The BC vaccine card has been vaccinated. Get vaccinated. We will now move into the question of the announcement. As a reminder to everybody on the phone line, please press star 1 to enter the queue. First question is from Binder Sajin. Hi there. I'm just wondering, I know we heard there that this measure is being tested for COVID-19. There were no closures or restrictions. There really weren't vaccines. Now we are seeing rising case numbers and hospitals are busier. How likely was it that we were heading for some type of restrictions? How much of this is about just getting people who haven't had their vaccine, putting a little bit of pressure on them to get that vaccine? Well, there's a couple of things that I'll ask Dr. Henry to fill in some of the detail. For me, for the government, Minister Dix and I are taking advice and counsel from public health. Dr. Henry and her team from experts across the province and across the country, it's abundantly clear that the COVID-19 fourth wave is confined largely to those who have not been vaccinated. Are we anxious to get more people vaccinated? Absolutely. Dr. Henry has been saying this for 19 or 20 months. Our first order of business is to keep people safe, to keep them well in the midst of a global pandemic. So we are unapologetic about encouraging people to get vaccinated. Having said that, we have been working with industry. From day one, I would suggest as Adrienne has, unprecedented the immunization program that was just put in place. But also unprecedented has been between government, industry, labor and civil society about how do we all get through this together. And we heard repeatedly from industry that a better course of action for them was to ensure that they were providing a safe environment and atmosphere for their patrons. Whether they be patrons of the arts, sports fans, those who are anxious to get back into gymnasiums to keep themselves fit, those who want to get back into society. The best way forward was to ensure that those who had taken the steps to protect themselves, their loved ones, their community were able to access these discretionary items throughout the end of the pandemic. And that is why we are here today. What was the motivation that has always been to keep British Columbians safe? What are the positive outcomes? As I said, a 200% increase when we announced we were going to take the next step forward. The others have charted here in Canada, Ontario, just recently, Quebec initially, and Manitoba, as well as a lot of work across the country, government to government, trying to find the best way to have continuity from coast to coast to coast to protect British Columbians. That has been the objective and I am confident that will be the outcome as well. Bender, do you have a follow-up? Yes. Today was supposed to be the earliest of the four. Just wondering, like looking back, what you are thinking about that, are you disappointed or is this just something we have to deal with in this pandemic? When you talk about restrictions possibly easing inside venues where people are fully vaccinated, how soon could that happen? I think that is sort of a segue for the last question. And I absolutely agree with Premier Horgan. We are playing the hands that we are dealt with here. So, yes, when we started the restart, we looked at what was happening, how effective vaccines were, what was circulation, what were the things that we needed to have in place, and some of the incentives we were using early on were things like no longer needing to wear masks if you were double vaccinated in these indoor public spaces. But the reality is that with this more transmissible variant, what we are seeing now becomes more important. And we have seen this play out in places like interior health where we had a lot of unprotected contact with people and there was enough people who had not yet been immunized that it spread really rapidly and that meant that we put strain on hospitals, there were people who were becoming very sick. We had overflow into long-term care homes in particular that led to more morbidity and mortality. So we did have to put restrictions in place in restaurants and some of the bars and nightclubs where there was a lot of transmission happening. And we found that once we raise the immunization levels in those settings, then they can start to operate safely again. So these are the things that we're learning here. We're learning about watching what's happening in the U.K. and the U.S. and it really is in pockets where we have not enough people yet immunized that this virus spread. So yes, we still have restrictions in place that come with step three. We have the mask mandate now as cases started to increase as we're heading into the fall. So it really is looking at that balancing again of what are the things that will help us get through the fall with the minimum that we can do to disrupt all of those important things that we have in our lives, recognizing that we can mitigate this risk a lot by being immunized. It's really that nudge for a lot of people that I know that are very busy with their lives, hadn't had the opportunity to get immunized. So it also goes hand in hand with us going out to communities, to community centers, to fairs, to workplaces, providing vaccine to people where they are so that it is easy for them to get it no matter what. You don't need to have ID, you don't need to have access to a free vaccine where you are when you need it. So those are all parts that we needed to have in play as we moved into the fall. But really it was looking at what's happening, what could potentially happen if we did not allow for the mitigation effects of things like the vaccine card. And yeah, I am hopeful that we'll transition over the next few months and by October 24th if we get enough people to step up and get protected and to be able to participate in these events that we'll be able to increase the numbers of people so that we will be somewhere near what we had envisioned in stage 4 of the restart. But it's not going to be the same and it's not going to be the same because we know more now and we've learned more and the virus has changed some more from where we were in May and June when we looked at the data then. And we were able to walk that fine line every day of what are the things that we need to do to stop people from getting sick and to keep the health system going and to prevent as much as we can disruption in society. Next question is from Rob Shaw. Check news. Dr. Henry, could you just expand on that last October 24th date? When you talk about lifting restrictions does that mean we could see a sports game or a concert or kind of max capacity hundreds of people crammed in for a wedding type of thing? Or are you talking about just slowly increasing that 50% capacity to a 60 or 75% or something like that? Obviously I would like the former as I see it. We'll need to watch what's happening. As we go into the fall we know that there's other respiratory viruses we're starting to see. We know that the last year that we saw in the fall COVID also started to transmit more easily and to be more prevalent during the fall. We want to protect those really important things. We know how critical it is for kids to be back in school and for universities to be back in person teaching in those settings to make sure that workplaces continue to stay open. So all of those things we'll be able to do for the next little while but I actually do believe we'll be able to I mean I really look forward to seeing a full hockey game sometime in the fall or early next winter. Rob, do you have a follow-up? The vaccine password seems to trigger something and some people out there we're seeing rising threats of violence, people throwing gravel at the Prime Minister, death threats against MLAs, the protests. What do you want to say to them out there who view this vaccine passport as some incredible infringement on their life that they're willing to go out and harass health care workers for it? What do you want to say to them? It is, Rob, you're absolutely right. There is a sense in the broader community that we would prefer to have COVID behind us. We're tired, we're exasperated, we're frustrated. We can continue to discuss how we feel but we also need to prepare for tomorrow and that's why we brought forward the immunization card, the vaccine card so that we can continue to keep the economy going, we can continue to give hope to people that there is an end to this if they take appropriate steps to protect themselves and their families and their community. And for those who see this as a broader issue than that, I don't really have much to say quite frankly, this is not about restricting people's rights, this is about restricting people's rights to those who have taken steps to protect themselves. There will be no services denied to any British Columbians as a result of the vaccine card. There will be no inability for people to go grocery shopping, to go into retail establishments. Dr. Henry Minister Dix and a team through jobs innovation and economic recovery have been working with the tourism arts and culture sector, working with the tourism industry in an unprecedented way. And it's frustrating I have to say for those of us who are all working to a common purpose that really does not have an ideological foundation. Those who are seeing this as I mean there are people are getting vaccinated whether they are liberals, new democrats, conservatives, greens, independence. People are getting vaccinated because it's the right thing to do to protect us in British Columbia and Canada. Vaccines are an effective way to protect us from the diseases that have been plaguing the earth for a long, long time. So those who want to make this more than what it is, I really don't have much to say to them other than if you have a grievance you should take it to elected representatives not to our health care systems. I think I got out of my system my frustration for the events of last week. I think we have a lot of people who are angry and they are lashing out. I regret that. I would prefer that we follow the advice that Dr. Henry has been giving us for some time and our parents gave us a long, long time ago. Be kind. Walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you cast judgment upon them. That's how I was raised and I think the vast majority of British Colombians would like us all to just kind of get along as we make our way through this difficult life. But we shouldn't disagree on the fundamental premise that we want to keep our neighbors safe and we have an ability to do that by taking an individual action for a collective benefit. And I hope that all British Colombians will hear that message. Take the steps to get themselves vaccinated. It's effective, it's safe, it's free and it will protect you in the long term. Thank you, Dr. Henry. This is clearly putting additional pressure on those and restaurants. They are not often asked unless they are serving alcohol to ask for ID. They will be required to do something new. Will there be additional support given to those working in restaurants being asked to enforce this? And does that additional challenge is that one of the factors for why food courts, coffee shops, fast food joints and cafeterias are now exempt from the proof of vaccination? Well, I'll let Dr. Henry get to the end of that question. But I will say at the front end that the hospitality sector was enthusiastic about this because they want to make sure that they stay open not just for the next month or two, but for the rest of their business. They want to be able to plan. When we announced we were reducing restrictions back in May, what I heard more than anything else is finally we can plan. We know with some certainty what the future holds. Well, here we are three months later and the future is still bright. But we have taken a side road or a tributary off in another direction. But the goal is the same. The objectives are the same. And those who want to work together to keep our industry open, to keep social engagements as vibrant as possible. And for those who declared that government is imposing this, we're doing so after extraordinary consultation with industry. Now, it's uneven across the province as is the immunization rate. And we want to speak to those communities who have got low immunization rates that the best way forward for you and your families and your communities is to follow the lead of other parts of the province that have very high immunization rates. And as we do say to those who are frustrated, the evidence is in and it's abundantly clear that the safest and most effective way for you to care for yourself and your families to get vaccinated. Thanks. I couldn't say it better myself. I will say that when we looked at the practicalities of how this would work and the riskiness of settings, there's a fundamental difference between most restaurants and many of the restaurants cafes, especially the licensed ones, ones with table service, are the ones that were under our food and liquor serving orders in the past. So they're the ones that have been most differentially affected by this. So there's a number of reasons why we focused on those settings. It protects the business. It protects the workers. And it makes sure that they have the resources in place and we're working with them to make sure those resources are there. And we're working with them to make sure that they have the resources and the resources that are required to take down a person's name and contact information before they sit down. So it is going to be an added stress, but it is, as the premier is saying, this is something that we've come up with together. So if you are concerned about it, if you're angry about it, do not take it out on that business. This is an order that they have to comply with and we're going to be ready when we go to a restaurant. If you're somebody who chooses not to be immunized, then please support your local restaurants by doing takeout, by doing drive-through. And yes, we specifically did not put in places where people don't have any control over where somebody is sitting down. They don't have people who are up there greeting people when they come in. So places like fast food restaurants, the risk is different as well. The vast majority of people are in and out, take it and go. And the seating is more limited and more spread out. But that doesn't mean we've given up all of the other things that are still in place. So there are still CD safety plans that need to be in place in those settings as well, which means people wear masks, which means you keep your physical distance. You sit at tables that are distance from each other. And that's where we're going to go. And that's where we're going to go. Thank you. ≫ Richard, do you have a follow-up? ≫ What will the obligations be for people who hold events like weddings or other community gatherings where they rent a banquet hall or community area, are they responsible themselves as event organizers to download the app to scan people's QR codes and what sort of tools will there be for people who are more broadly if people aren't actually swiping the QR codes and aren't following the province's protocols here? ≫ Yes. So these organized events, they have had restrictions on them, as you know, various times over the last 18 months. And there are still capacity restrictions. There are restrictions on things like dancing, on people remaining seated and these types of events are ones where this virus can take hold and can spread rapidly. So this is something that we've been hearing that many people are embracing this because so many people are immunized and they know that having people there who are not immunized is not yet immunized is a risk for others. And especially if we think about weddings, for example, where you have older people, where you have elders, where you have people who are not immunized, where you have people who are not immunized. So this is something that I think is important for you and your family. And yes, the onus will be on organizers to ensure that people who are attended have the app and they can have it on a paper. You don't need necessarily to download the app to swipe it. But you can, there will be a requirement to check people's vaccination status for those events. And you know, we are working out with the onus to a gym regularly. You can with permission have that recorded so that you don't have to show your vaccine card every time you go to the gym for people who recognize, people who go regularly to venues and places like that. So all of that best practice will be working out with the different sectors over the next few weeks. I'm talking about enforcement. I'm wondering, you're saying for the next few weeks, how soon will you be able to get the information down on making sure that people are following this, that businesses are, that people are. There has been a long list of businesses that are saying they are never going to follow this. How long is it going to be before that hammer really comes down? Well, we expect that as of the 13th that this will be in place. And yes, we have never put the hammer down as you so eloquently put it. But yes, if people are making a disturbance, there is provisions for this to be enforced. If businesses are flaunting the rules and putting people at risk, then there's implications for that as well. Lisa, do you have a follow-up? A quick one about the seven days for the two doses requiring seven days when we're generally told that it's 14 days after our second dose that we have immunity. So I'm wondering what or what are the requirements for this back pass? A couple of things about that. One is we're not requiring the seven days or the 14 days after dose one. So those are immunological functions. So it does take two to three weeks after your first dose before your immune system has built up both the antibody levels and started to build up your cell-mediated immunity, those memory B cells and T cells that help protect you from your second dose, it really is re-stimulating the same immune system. So you get that immune protection much sooner, and it is on average around seven days after dose two. So we were initially thinking about that, but practically speaking, we're not going to exclude somebody who's had their second dose. It just didn't make sense in a practical way for what we're trying to accomplish with the VC vaccine card. So there's not going to be a vaccine to be immunized. That's the important thing. Next question is from Justine Hunter. I just want to be clear and make sure that the straight patrons of these listed businesses and activities will have to be vaccinated according to the dates laid out today, but not the workers in these places. Am I correct? Well, this program does not apply to workers. Obviously we think it's incredibly important for businesses. We've been doing immunization clinics in these high risk businesses to make sure that the workers there are immunized. But that is an employer-employee relationship. So the vaccine card is about people who are participating, spectating going to events and services. Justine, do you have a follow-up? I do. Thank you. I know the Canadian Constitutional Act is not a court challenge. Unless you make accommodations for individuals who cannot be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons. I'm wondering if you're open to reconsidering that particular policy? So what we've been talking about and I've talked with the Human Rights Commissioner on this. We've talked with all of the people who are involved. This is a temporary measure with high risk settings. We're allowing people into these high risk settings and it's not, of course, practical for somebody who's a server at a restaurant to be assessing whether somebody has a valid reason why they should be in or not. So yes, the accommodation is that you can participate in these events in other ways without being physically present if you're not yet immunized. So people can watch the game on TV. You can continue to doing the things that have happened in the last 18 months when things have been closed down by necessity. So that's support your local businesses by doing takeout. Support your local team by watching them remotely. You know, having those participation, participating in those events and those activities remotely. Watching movies at home rather than going to the cinema. So that business can continue to operate safely. Next question is from Cindy Harnett. Thank you so much for that. In relation to vaccinations, is there any update that you could give us today on booster shots for seniors or the immunocompromised and the vaccination order perhaps for other healthcare workers? Yeah, all of those things are ones that we're continuing to work on. I know that the national advisory committee on immunization is coming and we have a meeting on Thursday around specific immunocompromising conditions and what the recommendations are on that. So expect to hear something about that by later this week, early next week. The information and the data around what's the optimal level for seniors in long-term care, as you know, we've been talking with Quebec. We've been looking at the data that we have here. And that is still under discussion. We will have more information to share around seniors and elders, particularly in long-term care in those settings. And yes, we are continuing to work through the issues as an employer with the Health Employers Association of BC and the unions around healthcare workers. But I think I've made it very clear that we do feel vaccination is an important part of being a healthcare worker in all parts of our healthcare system. And the details of that will be coming out soon as well. Follow-up, Cindy? Thank you so much. Dr. Henry, you spoke about get angry at the virus. Not at one another. And so then I thought, do you want to lend any messaging around people having to show proof of vaccination? Something to those front-line workers, if you will, those people that will be asking for this and we can possibly treat them and regard them. In many cases, they may be youth asking for this identification and it could be problematic for some. I was talking to some friends of mine on the weekend who have young children and the kids were really, really frustrated. This was last year and they were like, how come we can't do this and how come we can't have our friends? And they were in the car and she stopped the car and said, okay, let's get out and let's just show to the top of our lungs, I hate COVID. And I think we can all identify with that. This has been hard. And so let's all get out there and show I hate COVID. And then let's remember that it's us together that are in this storm and that it is supporting each other that will get us through this storm. And yes, don't take it out on that business. Take it out on the virus. Let's support our people who are working hard in the hospitality industry. Let's support people who are trying to keep their gyms open and keep going safely. Let's support our sports team so that we can get back to having those important things together. And, you know, this vaccine card is another one of those tools that helps us do that. And I'm absolutely with you. We need to treat the people who are on the front lines, whether you're healthcare workers, whether you're working in the healthcare industry, whether you're working with respect and compassion and kindness. Maybe you want to say something. Last question today is from Eva Eugen, CBC. Eva, are you there? I'm mute. I want you to touch on if you could please walk us through how an isolated senior who is not digitally literate and may not speak English as a first language, what is the most easily accessible way to get the vaccine card and could we please get an answer in French as well? Well, I'll take the opportunity as I'm standing here to answer a question that I skipped over earlier on. I don't know if it was from Richard Zuzman or Rob Shaw, but they asked about supports for business. And I skirted past that. I want to just reinforce that again, from the beginning, we've been ensuring that we are focused on making sure workers are whole. Businesses to the best of our ability to make sure that we are open and where we've had circuit breakers and other orders that have prevented them from operating that we've had programs in place, mostly grants, sometimes loans, sometimes deferred costs to make sure they get through COVID. We're not changing that now. And if there are additional costs or challenges with the vaccine card, we stand ready to assist both frontline workers and businesses. And I'll also add to Dr. Henry, I'd like to yell I hate COVID and I'm very much going to do that tonight when I get home. But I think that we need to keep in mind that everyone is frustrated. The people in the grocery stores, the people in our hospitals, Dr. Henry and myself, Minister Dix, our families, our neighbors, our community, everyone is unhappy. Everyone would like to see the end of this, but where I've seen glimmers of hope and how extraordinary people can be in times of crisis and challenge and how they work together. They don't think about their neighbors where they came from, what their jobs are, what their political affiliations are. They just want to support the people around them. And that is the power that I've seen at play during the pandemic. People collaborating, coming together, recognizing that not everyone is in the same storm, but not in the same canoe. And everyone has had different impacts. But we need to keep that in mind before we get angry and frustrated at the person in front of us. Because the person in front of us did not put COVID-19 into our worlds. The person in front of us is grappling with the same challenges, treat them with respect, treat them with kindness and together we'll all get through this. Thank you for answering the last question. I think what we can say is that if you have difficulty getting the BC vaccine card, there's a number of ways going about it. Obviously asking a friend or family member to assist you. Whatever the issue is, the issue is language to assist you. You can call a provincial vaccine line. 130 languages are served on that line and that's a significant service provided. There's information about the language to assist people in using the downloading service as well. You can visit one of our 64 service BC centers. There's lots of opportunity. I think that people have shown that through the pandemic. One of the really heartening things that we saw and we've seen in the last few months. There was a moment, for example, where Richmond City Center was behind other community health service areas in Metro Vancouver in terms of the pandemic. Richmond City Center is now vaccinated at 90% because of a lot of these kinds of efforts reaching out in the community. My constituency, which is one of the most diverse, has the largest number of people speaking. This is the second language. Is that vaccinated at 94% today? So there are these opportunities if people are isolated to get support from others and to reach out for support. I think that's one of the most important opportunities in the health authorities to reach out to people who have other challenges in terms of getting the vaccine card. There's lots of opportunities if you can't get your card. If you're not able to download it, you can call us. Multiple languages and get service. We have lots of available service online in different languages. And I encourage everyone to do that. And I think we've demonstrated in reaching out over the last number of months that we can get information about the value of vaccination. And now to get the BC vaccine card will be available to everyone and the supports will be available in multiple languages. In French, I would say that in the language of the province, there are many languages. And in the middle of the language, we give services to the phone. It's on our telephone. We can call and receive services and supports in languages more than 100 languages. I think it's 130 languages. We can also go to the British Columbia service in the province, 64, to receive services. And above all, we can ask friends and your family to help you get the vaccine card. And I encourage everyone to do that. And I encourage everyone to do that. And I encourage everyone to do that. And I encourage everyone to help you print your card of vaccine in British Columbia. So there are many opportunities in several languages, many opportunities, and a lot of support for people to receive the card of vaccination. EVA, do you have a follow-up? I do. Since not all restaurants or eating establishments are included in these requirements, how will customers know which businesses require vaccine cards? How will customers find out why to indicate that or some other way for customers to know what the requirements are to access those businesses and can we also get an answer to this in French as well? Thank you. The response is yes. Thank you. Thank you.