St Catharines says all city employees must be vaccinated

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Published September 29, 2021 at 2:17 pm

Ath their last Council meeting, St Catharines passed a motion that all city staff would now have to be fully vaccinated.

The release said, “In an effort to protect not only its employees but also the members of the public they serve the City of St. Catharines will require all its employees to obtain COVID-19 vaccination.”

The city will make an exception for those unable to receive the vaccine due to a Human Rights Code exemption.

“With scientific data demonstrating the effectiveness of vaccines in curbing the spread of COVID-19 and the increased risk of the Delta Variant to unvaccinated individuals, the City is adding vaccine requirements to its existing COVID-19 employee safety protocols such as mask requirements, daily screening and increased disinfection efforts.”

City CAO David Oakes noted, “As a public-sector employer we need to lead by example and that includes doing everything we can to protect both our employees and the public from the risks of COVID-19, our employees are the most critical asset we have and we are doing everything we can to keep them safe and healthy so they can continue to deliver the services our residents rely on.”

Oakes added, “Vaccines are critical in protecting our employees health and safety, but they are also another tool moving us forward out of the pandemic.”

The City is instituting the policy with a phased-in approach, providing employees who have not yet been vaccinated adequate time to receive a two-dose vaccine regimen.

The employee vaccination policy applies to all City employees, students working in the organization and volunteers, with the exception of volunteer members of boards, commissions or advisory committees.

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