Not all City employees need to be fully vaccinated come April in updated municipal vaccination policy
Posted Mar 19, 2022 01:45:00 AM.
The City’s vaccination policy is changing and will now only apply to employees who work in high-risk settings.
In a memo sent out to members of city council from Valerie Turner, general manager of innovative client services, as of Monday, April 4, those who work in long-term care, shelters and respite centre and as paramedics will be required to be fully vaccinated.
The City implemented its mandatory vaccination policy on November 15, 2021 as a way to protect the health and safety of all employees, as well as residents accessing City services, the memo explains.
“The implementation of the policy was a success with more than 98 per cent of active, full-time City employees fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” Turner outlines. “The high rate of vaccination effectively decreased the transmission of the virus in the workplace and demonstrates the commitment of our people to protect each other and the community we serve.”
The recent easing of public health restrictions by the province is an improvement in the COVID situation, Turner continues.
“In keeping with the province’s move to life public and workplace safety measures, the City will proceed with amending its mandatory vaccination policy to apply only to employees in identified high-risk settings in accordance with sector specific provincial recommendations,” she wrote, adding that employees who work in all other setting who did not comply with the police and were placed on leave will be allowed to return to the workplace on April4.
However, employees who work in high-risk settings who are non-compliant with the vaccination policy will have their leaves extended until further notice.
The amendment to the policy also doesn’t require contractors to be fully vaccinated, although the policy will continue to be needed for contractors in high-risk settings.
Contractors who provide indirect care in long-term care facilities will continue to require a rapid antigen test.
