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PHASE 5 – OCTOBER 4, 2021 – CHOIRS CAN RESUME ACTIVITIES – VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS

Premier Houston, Minister Thompson, and Dr. Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, have announced the final details of Nova Scotia’s proof of full vaccination protocol, which goes into effect as Phase 5 begins on Monday, October 4.

PROOF OF VACINATION

Anyone age 12 or older who is not fully vaccinated will not be able to access discretionary, recreational, or non-essential activities, with minimal exceptions. We encourage everyone to carefully read the proof of full vaccination protocol.
We also thank everyone who provided insight and input on operational considerations and resources that will be helpful as your sector and organization implements the protocol. We want to highlight a few changes and areas of additional clarification that have been made based on conversations with people in many sectors in the past week:
  • Proof of vaccination will be required for dining in at food establishments, including fast food restaurants and coffee shops, but not for take-out, delivery, drive-through or food courts.
  • Proof of vaccination is not required for general access to public libraries (to do things such as borrow books and use computers). However, people will need to show proof of vaccination to participate in public library programs.
  • Legislatively required meetings where people have a democratic right to participate, such as municipal council meetings where citizens can present, do not require proof of vaccination.
  • Proof of full vaccination is not required for full-time or part-time staff of businesses and organizations that host events and activities that are subject to the protocol. It is required for volunteers who host, lead, or organize these events and activities. A list of the events and activities is in section 3.1 of the protocol.
  • Businesses and organizations are not able to keep records of people’s proof of vaccination without their consent because it is private health information. However, they can get consent from people to keep this information. A template consent form is available in the guide for businesses and organizations that will need to check for proof of full vaccination. More information is in section 2.4 of the protocol.
Proof of Vaccination Resources
To help support your organization and staff in implementing the proof of full vaccination protocol, the following resources are available:

PHASE 5 REOPENING

Phase 5 will start on October 4 with a cautious approach. Most restrictions will be lifted while some will remain in place.
  • There will no longer be a requirement for physical distance.
  • There will no longer be gathering limits for events hosted by a business or organization
  • There will no longer be gathering limits for events hosted by a business or organization (like arts and culture events, festivals, special events, sports, performing arts, weddings, funerals and faith gatherings).
  •  The informal gathering limits of 25 people indoors and 50 outdoors will remain in place.
  • Masks will still be required in indoor public places.
  • As noted above, the proof of full vaccination requirement will start October 4.
  • Current border restrictions will remain in place and be expanded to include people coming from PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador. That means self-isolation will still be required after travel for people who aren’t fully vaccinated (at least 7 days plus 2 negative tests). International travelers will continue to follow federal requirements.
Otherwise, the only restrictions that will remain in place for the general population are those related to management of COVID-19 cases. For example, people with symptoms must still get tested, isolate while they wait for results and continue to isolate if they test positive.