Kamloops gym owner won’t check vaccine cards, chamber feels they keep economy going

KAMLOOPS — When the news came out Monday that non-essential businesses, including her Ladies Only Fitness gym, would need to check customers’ vaccine status, Delrae Kohnert felt sick.

The pandemic has already put a dent into her business, and now with vaccine cards required, she would take a further hit if she decided to follow the mandate, which she won’t.

“I shouldn’t be looking at people’s medical records. It’s just not who I am,” said Kohnert. “People come here to get healthy and we can keep our distance. It’s 5,000 sq. ft. There’s no reason why we can’t. We’ve never been crammed in here. We’ve made it a year and a half now as well with nothing.”

As a small business owner, Kohnert says she also can’t afford to hire additional staff to be checking proof of vaccination. She isn’t taking sides either in the vaccine debate. It’s about business and the survival of her gym.

“It doesn’t matter which way you look at it, you’re going to lose member,” said Kohnert over the vaccination debate. “That’s obviously your biggest fear. Being a small business, you rely on those people to pay your bills. Nobody else does it. I need those people. I need all of my people.”

On the other hand, the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce supports the idea and has been calling for the measure for a long time. The organization argues the vaccine cards in fact keep the economy going.

“The business community was of the view that it’s maybe not the best tool or the greatest tool, but in an emergency it would allow us to access those 80 per cent of people that are double-vaccinated and allow them to be active economic members supporting business,” said Board President of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce Dan Carroll. “The alternative to the passport would be closures — 100 per cent closures.”

The chamber says it’s not what any business would want. Regardless, Kohnert says she doesn’t know what the future holds with vaccine cards.

“This is a hard one for me because either way you look at it, small businesses are the ones that are losing in this,” she said. “And everybody else is still making a salary or doing whatever they’re doing, while we’re defeated.”