COVID-19 Policies, Vaccine Passports Need to Be ‘Re-Examined’ to Return to Normalcy, Tam Says

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam is seen via videoconference as Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos looks on, during a news conference on the COVID-19 pandemic and the omicron variant in Ottawa on Jan. 7, 2022. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Teresa Tam says all COVID-19 policies, including provincial vaccine passports, need to be “re-examined” as the virus is here to stay for months or even years.

“What we do need to do, going forward as we emerge from the Omicron wave, is to recognize that this virus is not going to disappear and we need to be able to address the ongoing presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a more sustainable way,” Tam said in a virtual press briefing on Feb. 4.