Public service workers must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November, BC government announces

All 30,000 public service employees in British Columbia will have to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22, the provincial government has announced.

The province said it was “supporting the effort to increase vaccination rates” in BC.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry consulted with the BC Public Service Agency on the decision, the government explained.

“As more employees return to their regular workplaces later in the fall, this provides an additional and reassuring layer of protection for workers who are continuing the vital work of serving British Columbians,” the province said in a short statement.

“Public service employees working in core government or ministries will be required to provide proof of full vaccination using the BC Vaccine Card.

“The effective date gives employees who are not yet fully vaccinated the time they need to comply.”

BCSTA believes that the best way to support student and staff safety in a school setting, when many students are not eligible for vaccines, is to ensure that those who are eligible to be vaccinated get the shot. 1/5

— Stephanie Higginson (@BCSTA_President) October 5, 2021

It added: “Details of accommodations that will be made for the few people who are unable to be vaccinated will be released by early November.”

BC School Trustees Association President Stephanie Higginson, meanwhile, reminded the public that teachers and school staff are not employed by the federal government and so will not be affected by the announcement.

But she added: "In light of today's announcement, the Ministry of Education will immediately convene a committee to address the complexity of these issues and support boards in their role as the employer. We have been calling for such a committee since June."

All health care workers in BC, however, must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 26 as a condition of their employment.

Over 82% of residents in BC have already been fully vaccinated.

Paul Finch, treasurer of the British Columbia General Employees Union, said he has been supportive of vaccines but wants to see the full policy to get an understanding of how exemptions and accommodations will be handled.

"We’ve been strongly advocating for robust health measures. We campaigned and asked for a mask mandate and got that," he said, adding members want all workers to wear masks, not just those who are working with the public.

Dr. Henry said there will be consequences for workers in BC’s long−term care and assisted−living facilities if they decide not to get vaccinated, with the first deadline for them set for next week under a previously announced policy.

"People who are ineligible to work after Oct. 12 because they have not yet received at least one dose will be off work, as of that day, without pay," she said. "If you do then decide to get your first dose it will be seven days before you’re able to work, with additional precautions."

Workers must get their second dose 35 days after the first shot, Henry said.

Anyone hired in the high−risk facilities after Oct. 25 will need to be fully vaccinated and official medical exemptions will be needed for those who are not immunized, Henry said.

"We know that vaccination rates are high, but in some places they are not yet high enough."

Health Minister Adrian Dix said health authorities are reporting that up to 94 per cent of long−term care and assisted living workers have received both doses of a vaccine, as in the case of those employed in Vancouver Coastal Health. But that number is only 79 per cent in the Northern Health region, from which 26 patients with COVID−19 have been transferred to intensive care units elsewhere in the province. All of them were unvaccinated, he added.

Nearly 82 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged 12 and up have had both doses of a vaccine, the province said Tuesday. It reported 593 new cases of COVID−19 and said those who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 78 per cent of hospitalizations in the last couple of weeks. There were no new deaths.

Henry also updated a policy for visitors to long−term care facilities on Tuesday, saying they must be vaccinated as of Oct. 12. Those entering acute−care settings are required to have both doses by Oct. 26, in line with a vaccination order for employees there.

She called on BC residents to gather in small groups over Thanksgiving and to be particularly mindful of older family members and those who are immunocompromised.

The province began providing booster shots to seniors in long−term care facilities this week and is now preparing to administer third doses to another 100,000 people, including those who are severely and moderately immunocompromised. People who are on dialysis or have severe kidney or renal disease will also be notified about when they can expect to receive their third shot.

Henry said information on booster shots for others, including First Nations, people over age 60 and health−care workers who were vaccinated early, is expected to be provided by the end of the month after continuing consultation with a national advisory panel on vaccination.

She said the decision of some mayors in the Northern Health region to promote vaccination as a personal choice could have further negative outcomes in the area, where intensive care units have been overwhelmed.

"Choice is one thing, but choice has consequences. And when those choices you make are having effects on the rest of the community, then that has implications and you are restricted from doing certain things. And that’s the point of the BC Vaccine card."

The province’s move comes as the federal government reportedly prepares to push provinces to introduce a vaccine mandate for workers.

– With files from Canadian Press