Regina returns to masks at indoor city facilities, employees to need proof of vaccination

The City of Regina is enacting new COVID-19 safety precautions, taking a “fairly proactive and fairly aggressive approach” to handle the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Starting Saturday, the people at indoor city facilities will be required to wear masks. Masks will also be required to ride Regina Transit, including Rider Transit for the Labour Day Classic on Sunday.

“As a city, we believe that that is a necessary step. I think that demonstrates leadership in the community,” city manager Chris Holden said during a news conference on Tuesday.

The city is also aiming to require employees to show proof of vaccination as of Sept. 15. It also intends to require the public to have proof of vaccination to access indoor facilities starting on Sept. 20.

For those who cannot or will not be vaccinated, Holden said the city is looking at having testing provided.

“Everyone will have confidence as an employee or as a member of the public that if you’re in a city facility, people are either double vaccinated or they have provided proof that they have a negative COVID test,” he said.

Holden said the city is still working on the logistics of requiring proof of vaccination but stressed the need for the province to develop its QR (quick response) code to the MySaskHealthRecord vaccine record.

That code is expected to be ready in mid-September but Holden said “it really does create a challenge” if it is not.

The QR code provides a way to confirm somebody’s vaccine status while protecting personal privacy, he said. If one were to print their vaccination record on MySaskHealthRecord, the document would include details like the person’s name, date of birth, date of vaccinations and the type of vaccine they received.

On the other hand, the QR code only reveals that the person has been vaccinated.

“The QR code is a very important piece of the technology that we need to be able to move forward. It’s much easier to use a QR code for proof of vaccination with employees and definitely for proof of vaccination with the public,” Holden said.

“That is really important, whether it’s us at city facilities, whether it’s the Riders and REAL at Mosaic (Stadium), or any other institution that chooses to require proof of vaccination. I think you’ll see more and more employers and businesses moving to proof of vaccination. It just seems like that is a very responsible thing to do.”

The CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders announced Monday they were going to start requiring fans attending their home games to be fully vaccinated or have proof of a negative test result. The target date for that policy to start is Sept. 17.

While masks will be required on Rider Transit starting Sunday, Holden said they will be optional at Mosaic Stadium since it’s an outdoor venue where the risk of COVID transmission is reduced.

“Everybody should have a mask in their pocket and they should make their own personal choice as to whether they put their mask on or not. We’re all safer if we had 30,000 fans at Mosaic wearing masks,” he said.

The City of Regina confirmed its requirement for proof of vaccination at indoor city facilities starting Sept. 20 also applies to the Brandt Centre.