'It's going to let us be open': Gatineau businesses rollout COVID-19 vaccine passport

GATINEAU, QUE. -

Quebec rolled out its COVID-19 vaccine passport on Wednesday, requiring residents 13 and over to be fully vaccinated to access non-essential services.

That includes gyms, festivals, theatres and indoor dining.

 At the Brasserie du Bas Canada in Gatineau, staff say the first day of the COVID-19 vaccine passports went smoothly.

"People have been nice about the passport so far. I only had one client who didn’t know it was today it started," said tap manager Nicolas St-Onge.  

In Quebec, those choosing to eat in at restaurants or enjoy a pint are asked to show a QR code. That will be scanned before guests are given the green light to dine in.

Residents living in Ottawa can still access these services, but they’ll need to show their proof of two vaccination doses issued by Ontario’s Ministry of Health and photo ID.

So far, owners say business has been quiet but expects that to change within the coming weeks. The owner of Le Barbecue anticipates having to turn people away if they don’t have the vaccine passport.

"We’re going to lose some clients for sure now but we’re also going to get some more clients because everyone going to the government building back to schools,” said Le BBQ owner Karim Filiou. "I think it’s going to let us be open instead of being on lockdown.”