Canucks: Fans will have to be fully vaccinated to attend games

Vancouver Canucks hockey is fast approaching.  After the 2019-20 season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the playoffs in the bubble and the shortened 2020-21 season with the Scotia North Division, 2021-22 will have some normalcy to it.  It is also expected that there will be fans inside Rogers Arena for the first time since March of 2020.

However, since the pandemic is still going, safety is the number one priority.

On Monday afternoon, BC Premier John Horgan, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and health minister Adrian Dix revealed that starting September 13, the province will require proof of vaccination for things such as indoor and patio dining at restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, concerts and ticketed sporting events.

Starting September 13, British Columbians will be required to be at least have one dose of the COVID vaccine to attend social and recreational settings and events. Starting, October 24th, it will be required to be double dosed.

“Vaccines are our ticket to putting this pandemic behind us,” said Horgan per Global BC. “So I call on all eligible unvaccinated British Columbians to roll up their sleeves to stop the spread, and help protect themselves, their loved ones and the people in their community.”

Canucks Sports and Entertainment later took to social media to announce that fans, employees and event staff will have to prove they are fully vaccinated to attend any event at Rogers Arena and Abbotsford Centre.

Michael Doyle, President, CSE and Business operations also shared a statement.

The health and safety of our fans, employees, players and community has always been a top priority and we welcome today’s announcement by Premier Horgan, Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister Dix. The new program will help us ensure everyone is as safe and comfortable as possible at Rogers Arena and the Abbotsford Centre. We will now work closely with local health authorities to implement an efficient and effective entry process for everyone coming to games, concerts and live events.”

The Canucks home opener is on October 26 against the Minnesota Wild. Before that, the Canucks will have four preseason games at Rogers Arena.  They will be on September 27, October 3, October 5, and October 9 against the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Seattle Kraken and Edmonton Oilers respectively. That means, fans will be required to have one dose during the preseason games and once the regular season begins, fans will have to have two.

How will fans show proof of vaccination?  Per Daily Hive, the Ministry of Health says that by September 13, there will be a secure weblink for people to fully access their proof of vaccination which can be saved on their phone.  When fans come to Rogers Arena for Canucks games, they will have to show their proof of vaccination at the doors. Children under the age of 12 are exempt.

The Canucks have been considering proof of vaccinations for a couple of weeks and it seems that they waited for the government’s announcement today to make it official. The Fourth Period’s Irfaan Gaffar says that was the plan for some time.

Sporting events in BC are at 50% capacity as part of phase three of the restart plan. The BC Lions played their first home game on August 19 in almost two years against the Edmonton Elks with 12,500 fans at BC Place. The Vancouver Whitecaps had their first home game with fans in over a year where 11,114 saw them beat LAFC.

They will join a number of teams across Canada that will require fans to be vaccinated to attend games including the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Blue Jays.

Phase four of the restart plan was supposed to start on September 7 and that would mean full capacity at sports games. However, Horgan, Dix and Henry say it is unlikely for the province to advance to phase four due to the number of cases rising and the Delta Variant.

The Canucks say that details regarding vaccination proof and entry process will be announced soon.