Credit: Government of B.C.

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: ‘Vaccine card’ inconvenient but it will keep the economy going

Aug 25, 2021 | 4:29 AM

KAMLOOPS — I WONDER IF those folks who are hollering indignantly about B.C.’s new vaccination card ever stop to think about the alternative.

Refuse the vaccine if you like, but why should you not have to suffer any inconvenience for making that choice when people are still getting sick, being hospitalized and still dying?

Obviously, we have to put an end to the drastic impact of COVID-19 and the recent disturbing upsurge thanks to the Delta variant. One way would be to shut down the economy again, which would ruin many businesses, closing them forever.

It would also deprive all of us with many of the services and goods essential to everyday life, not to mention the entertainment and cultural events so essential to our collective mental health.

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Feel good about growing food indoors

17m ago

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: B.C.'s new industrial blueprint

3h ago

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Collins off base by dismissing City of Kamloops staff safety concerns

4h ago

All that because you think requiring vaccinations in order to access night clubs, casinos, theatres, gyms, restaurants and so forth, and the wearing of masks when you go to the super market or indoor public areas, is a violation of your civil liberties.

It’s not. The claim that the new card will be a breach of Section 7 of the Charter of Rights is kind of silly. OK, I’m not a lawyer, but please explain how “life, liberty and security of person” are being infringed.

Neither your life, liberty nor your security is at risk. When Section 7 was written, I highly doubt those who framed it had in mind going to a bar or gym to shed a deadly virus.

I see that at least one Kamloops gym owner has declared she won’t check customers’ vaccine cards because “that’s not who I am.”

That’s just sad. Thank goodness, the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce is taking a responsible approach and lauding vaccine cards for what they really are — a measure that will keep the economy going.

If anything, the vaccine card — or passport, if you prefer — should have been brought in sooner.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.