As provincial health orders in Manitoba do away with vaccine requirements for entry into public places as of today, some venues are choosing to continue checking vaccination status.

Among organizations that will still be checking vaccination cards at the door are the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and True North Sports & Entertainment for entry into events at Canada Life Centre and the Burton Cummings Theatre.

The WSO says that they will also be keeping capacity limits in place for the time being in an email statement to Classic 107. "We plan to keep the vaccine and mask requirements until at least the end of March. We will also stay at 50 per cent capacity."

For the WSO, the decision was easy after polling its patrons.

"We sent out a survey to our patrons (two weeks ago) and they overwhelmingly favoured keeping the restrictions. We’ve also received emails from patrons letting us know they will no longer attend the symphony if we drop all the mandates."

Over 750 patrons of the WSO responded to the survey, with 86 per cent in favour of keeping vaccine mandates, and 81 per cent in favour of the mask mandate.

The WSO says it will re-evaluate things for the remainder of the season which wraps up in mid-May.

"We are listening to our patrons," the WSO says.

Proof of vaccination is continuing for hockey fans through the end of April. In a statement released last week, True North says that full vaccination will be required for entry into games through April 30. It says, however, that once provincial mask mandates end they will transition to "mask friendly" status, meaning masks will be strongly encouraged but not required.

True North says its decision was also made after taking input from ticket holders.

TNSE says it received over 3,900 responses to a survey of season or partial ticket holders, and 55 per cent indicated they would be uncomfortable or very uncomfortable if vaccination requirements were listed. Of those responses, 90 per cent said they would prefer the requirements stayed in place until April 30.

The organization says that it is grateful for the cooperation of fans who have worn masks, but it's also become a spot of contention with fans and was a contributing factor in the decision to drop masks in the middle of the month.

"However, as time has passed, varying compliance has created conflicts amongst fans and between fans and employees. Mask use has become increasingly difficult for our teams to monitor and enforce, and we expect this to only escalate following the lifting of the provincial mandate."

The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre will also require proof of vaccination until at least April 16.