Ontario and Peel Public Health officially remove COVID-19 proof of vaccination mandate

By Rob Paul

As of March 1, the Government of Ontario officially lifted capacity limits in indoor public settings and removed the requirement for proof of vaccination in specific settings.

Businesses still have the option to require proof of vaccination going forward but it will not be mandated by the government.

For now, masking requirements will remain in place, with a specific timeline to lift the measure to be announced later.

To align with the province, Peel Public Health has rescinded its Letter of Instruction requiring proof of vaccination in specific indoor public spaces. 

“Rescinding this Letter of Instruction aligns with the end of proof of vaccination requirements by the provincial government at this time,” said Dr. Lawrence Loh, Medical Officer of Health for Peel. “Reintroduction of any measures will be carefully considered should they be necessary. Peel Public Health continues to monitor for concerning changes during this ongoing transition of our COVID-19 response. I continue to urge all eligible residents to get vaccinated and boosted as quickly as possible given that contacts are expected to increase with reopening. Two doses and a booster present significant protection against severe outcomes, and reduces an individual's risk of hospitalization and ICU admission by six and 10 times respectively.”

Vaccine coverage and third booster shots continue to increase in the Region. Peel has now administered 3,266,095 doses of the vaccine—1,402,505 individuals have one dose, 1,271,451 have both doses, and 587,706 have received their third dose booster.

The Region now has 81.6 per cent of all residents with two dose coverage and 86 per cent with single dose. 91.5 per cent of those 12 and older are double vaccinated and 94.3 per cent have initiated the vaccination process—86.1 per cent of all eligible residents (5+) have both doses and 90.7 per cent have one.

In Peel, the new weekly COVID-19 case total has dropped below 1,000 for the second straight week with 736 new COVID-19 cases in the last week to bring the total to 174,162. The Region's death count has now risen to 1,211 with 12 new deaths since last week.

Caledon's new case count remains low with 51 new cases over the last week to bring the Town total to 7,574. There were no new deaths this week with the count staying at 27.

To book a vaccine in the Region of Peel, visit www.peelregion.ca/coronavirus/vaccine/book-appointment/. To schedule a third dose booster, visit covid19.ontariohealth.ca/. 

To download or print a copy of your proof of vaccination, visit covid-19.ontario.ca/covid-19-vaccine-booking-support#proof-of-vaccination.