The province’s COVID-19 vaccine passport system comes into effect Wednesday and those aged 13 and over who want to access non-essential services are required to show proof of vaccination.
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé announced the implementation of the passport system in early August prompting some protests in Montreal and at various venues where pilot projects to test the system were being carried out.
Some have argued the passport is discriminatory and should have been subject to public debate.
The government, for its part, has said the passport, in combination with vaccination, will not only protect the population it will also help businesses stay open by avoiding the need for lockdowns.
Here’s everything you need to know on how to navigate the new system.
2:13 Are provinces hurting their economy by not introducing a vaccine passport?
Are provinces hurting their economy by not introducing a vaccine passport?
What is the vaccine passport?
The vaccine passport is a system that allows to determine your level of protection against COVID-19.
For your passport, you will need a proof of vaccination document which includes your name, date of birth, information about the vaccines received, date of first positive COVID-19 test if applicable, and a QR or quick response code provided by the Quebec government. The information on the document is also contained in the QR code.
Proof of vaccination is available in both digital and paper formats. It is recommended to have the paper version as well, to serve as backup.
How does it work?
When trying to access non-essential services, anyone aged 13 and over will be required to show their proof of vaccination, either by presenting a paper version of their QR code, a PDF version on their mobile device or by using the VaxiCode application.
Businesses or venues will then scan your QR code using the VaxiCode Verif application. Your name will appear on the scanning device, as well as your vaccination status indicated by the colour green for adequately protected and red for not adequately protected.
An internet connection is not required as none of the information is stored, it is only read by the application.
You will also have to provide one piece of valid photo ID to ensure the name on the QR code matches yours.
The VaxiCode and VaxiCode Verif apps are available for download on the the Apple App Store for Iphone users and on Google Play for Android devices. After downloading the app, users can upload their QR code by following the instructions.
1:58 Helping Quebec seniors with COVID-19 vaccine passport
Helping Quebec seniors with COVID-19 vaccine passport
Restaurants and bars including outdoor patios, microbreweries, distilleries, nightclubs and food court dining areas in malls;
Entertainment venues including stadiums, arenas, auditoriums, cinemas, theatres or any other venue where performing arts, sports or films are shown;
Outdoor events and festivals with more than 50 participants, including agricultural fairs, arts and crafts shows, concerts, sports competitions, tournaments and tours;
Casinos, bingo halls and gambling halls;
Amusement and theme parks including zoos, water parks, recreation centres, arcades, pool halls and bowling alleys;
Cruises;
Conventions;
All indoor sports and physical activities, outdoor team sports or sports where there is frequent or prolonged contact
A detailed list of activities and places where a vaccine passport will be needed is available in English on the Quebec government’s website.
What non-essential services or places can I access without a vaccine passport:
Retail stores;
Takeout food counters or restaurant drive-thrus;
Libraries and museums;
Private gatherings;
Businesses offering personal care services, spas and saunas, massage therapy
Ceremonies (weddings and funeral) and places of worship;
If you were vaccinated in Quebec and haven’t received a QR code, you can go the the Quebec government’s website and download a digital version by using the self-service portal. You will be asked to provide your name, health insurance number, date of first vaccination against COVID-19 and the brand of vaccine.
If you don’t have access to a computer and want your proof of vaccination mailed to you, you can call 1-877-644-4545.
Can I still get a QR code if I was vaccinated outside Quebec?
If you live in Quebec but were vaccinated elsewhere, as is the case for many students and some snowbirds, you will have to get your doses added to the province’s vaccine registry to obtain your QR code.
To do so, you must make an appointment at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic through the Clic Santé website.
You’ll need to bring ID as well as a “legible proof of vaccination from the country where you were vaccinated,” according to the Quebec government website. Only vaccine brands authorized by the World Health Organization are being recognized by the province.
Documents provided will be assessed at the vaccination centre and if approved, added to the vaccination registry allowing you to apply for a QR code via the self-service portal.
What rules apply for people visiting from out of province?
Travellers to Quebec will not require a vaccine passport but will have to show proof of vaccination issued by their country or Canadian province, as well as photo ID.
They will be required to have had two doses of either Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Covishield, or one dose of Janssen.
How will it be enforced?
The government says there will be a two-week leniency period lasting until Sept. 15. In that time, no penalties will be enforced.
Anyone who tampers with a QR code, or the vaccine passport system, could face penalties and sanctions, including under the Criminal Code.
If someone isn’t adequately vaccinated at a site where proof is required, they will be asked to leave. If that person refuses, the business owner or service provider can call security or police and have them escorted out.
As for other infractions relating to COVID-19 public health measures, fines can range between $1,000 to $6,000.
Businesses or services providers refusing to use the vaccine passport system risk seeing their venue shut down.
The province says inspectors will be making visits to ensure compliance, but are also calling on customers to report places that aren’t scanning QR codes.
Netflix (NFLX) stock slid as much as 9.6% Friday after the company gave a second quarter revenue forecast that missed estimates and announced it would stop reporting quarterly subscriber metrics closely watched by Wall Street.
On Thursday, Netflix guided to second quarter revenue of $9.49 billion, a miss compared to consensus estimates of $9.51 billion.
The company said it will stop reporting quarterly membership numbers starting next year, along with average revenue per member, or ARM.
“As we’ve evolved our pricing and plans from a single to multiple tiers with different price points depending on the country, each incremental paid membership has a very different business impact,” the company said.
Netflix reported first quarter earnings that beat across the board on Thursday, with another 9 million-plus subscribers added in the quarter.
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Subscriber additions of 9.3 million beat expectations of 4.8 million and followed the 13 million net additions the streamer added in the fourth quarter. The company added 1.7 million paying users in Q1 2023.
Revenue beat Bloomberg consensus estimates of $9.27 billion to hit $9.37 billion in the quarter, an increase of 14.8% compared to the same period last year as the streamer leaned on revenue initiatives like its crackdown on password-sharing and ad-supported tier, in addition to the recent price hikes on certain subscription plans.
Netflix’s stock has been on a tear in recent months, with shares currently trading near the high end of its 52-week range. Wall Street analysts had warned that high expectations heading into the print could serve as an inherent risk to the stock price.
Earnings per share (EPS) beat estimates in the quarter, with the company reporting EPS of $5.28, well above consensus expectations of $4.52 and nearly double the $2.88 EPS figure it reported in the year-ago period. Netflix guided to second quarter EPS of $4.68, ahead of consensus calls for $4.54.
Profitability metrics also came in strong, with operating margins sitting at 28.1% for the first quarter compared to 21% in the same period last year.
The company previously guided to full-year 2024 operating margins of 24% after the metric grew to 21% from 18% in 2023. Netflix expects margins to tick down slightly in Q2 to 26.6%.
Free cash flow came in at $2.14 billion in the quarter, above consensus calls of $1.9 billion.
Meanwhile, ARM ticked up 1% year over year — matching the fourth quarter results. Wall Street analysts expect ARM to pick up later this year as both the ad-tier impact and price hike effects take hold.
On the ads front, ad-tier memberships increased 65% quarter over quarter after rising nearly 70% sequentially in Q3 2023 and Q4 2023. The ads plan now accounts for over 40% of all Netflix sign-ups in the markets it’s offered in.
Netflix reported first quarter earnings after the bell on Thursday. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo (REUTERS / Reuters)
Alexandra Canal is a Senior Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X @allie_canal, LinkedIn, and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com.
Oil prices initially spiked on Friday due to unconfirmed reports of an Israeli missile strike on Iran.
Prices briefly reached above $90 per barrel before falling back as Iran denied the attack.
Iranian media reported activating their air defense systems, not an Israeli strike.
Oil prices gave up nearly all of early Friday’s gains after an Iranian official told Reuters that there hadn’t been a missile attack against Iran.
Oil surged by as much as $3 per barrel in Asian trade early on Friday after a U.S. official told ABC News today that Israel launched missile strikes against Iran in the early morning hours today. After briefly spiking to above $90 per barrel early on Friday in Asian trade, Brent fell back to $87.10 per barrel in the morning in Europe.
The news was later confirmed by Iranian media, which said the country’s air defense system took down three drones over the city of Isfahan, according to Al Jazeera. Flights to three cities including Tehran and Isfahan were suspended, Iranian media also reported.
Israel’s retaliation for Iran’s missile strikes last week was seen by most as a guarantee of escalation of the Middle East conflict since Iran had warned Tel Aviv that if it retaliates, so will Tehran in its turn and that retaliation would be on a greater scale than the missile strikes from last week. These developments were naturally seen as strongly bullish for oil prices.
However, hours after unconfirmed reports of an Israeli attack first emerged, Reuters quoted an Iranian official as saying that there was no missile strike carried out against Iran. The explosions that were heard in the large Iranian city of Isfahan were the result of the activation of the air defense systems of Iran, the official told Reuters.
Overall, Iran appears to downplay the event, with most official comments and news reports not mentioning Israel, Reuters notes.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that “there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites,” confirming Iranian reports on the matter.
The Isfahan province is home to Iran’s nuclear site for uranium enrichment.
“Brent briefly soared back above $90 before reversing lower after Iranian media downplayed a retaliatory strike by Israel,” Saxo Bank said in a Friday note.
The $5 a barrel trading range in oil prices over the past week has been driven by traders attempting to “quantify the level of risk premium needed to reflect heightened tensions but with no impact on supply,” the bank said, adding “Expect prices to bid ahead of the weekend.”
At the time of writing Brent was trading at $87.34 and WTI at $83.14.
