Saskatchewan residents no longer need to show vaccination status to enter places

REGINA — Saskatchewan has lifted its public health order that required residents to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test to enter most businesses.

The vaccine passport system, which was brought in last October, ended at 12:01 a.m. today.

Premier Scott Moe says the policy helped increase vaccination rates in the province, but suggests its costs now outweigh its benefits.

The province’s chief medical health officer says Saskatchewan has reached its peak during the Omicron wave, but he expects hospitalizations will continue rising for the next week before tapering off.

The province has two remaining health orders in place that require people to wear masks in indoor public places and to self-isolate when they test positive for COVID-19.

Both of those orders will expire at the end of the month.