Ontario lays out exemptions where proof of vaccination is not required

TORONTO -

In less than a week, Ontarians will need to prove their vaccination status to enter most non-essential public settings like restaurants and bars, sporting events, and concerts.

And unless you have a medical exception proving that you can’t get the shot, you’ll be expected to show a receipt of both your first and second dose, as well as any government-issued ID, to enter those establishments.

But are there any scenarios in which people won’t need to show these documents?

On Tuesday, Ontario’s government laid out a number of scenarios where you don’t actually need proof of vaccination to enter.

Here’s a list of those exemptions:

Non-essential businesses

• To use the washroom
• To pay for an order
• To access an outdoor area that can only be accessed through an indoor route
• To place or pick up an order, including placing a bet or picking up winnings at a horse track
• To purchase admission
• To make a retail purchase
• For the purposes of health and safety

Weddings and funerals

• A wedding or funeral service, rite or ceremony and you are not attending the associated social gathering or reception that is in a meeting or event space
• Social gathering associated with a funeral service, rite or ceremony that is being held in a business licensed under the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2022
• Between Sept. 22 and Oct. 12, the province says that a negative antigen COVID-19 test – taken no more than 48 hours prior – can be used to gain access to an indoor social gathering associated with a wedding or funeral

Individuals under a certain age

• Children under 12 will not need to show proof of vaccination
• People under the age of 18 who are entering the indoor premises of a facility used for sports and recreational facilities solely for the purpose of actively participating in an organized sport

Proof of vaccination is also not required for retail shopping, salons and barbershops, banks, places of worship, essential services, workplaces or patios and other outdoor spaces.