OTTAWA — The federal government has issued a mandate requiring public servants to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 29, 2021. Workers that don’t meet this requirement will be put on unpaid leave by Nov. 15, 2021 and will also be required to take an online training session on COVID-19 vaccines. These new measures will apply to partially vaccinated workers; however, they will have up to 10 weeks to receive their second dose.
Instead of showing proof-of-vaccination receipts, federal public servants will need to submit an online attestation of their vaccination status. That said, workers could still be asked to show proof at any time.
In addition to federal public servants, employees and passengers in the federally regulated air, rail and marine transportation sectors must be fully vaccinated as of Oct. 30, 2021.This mandate also includes any worker at retail or hospitality establishments in restricted sections of airports.
There will be limited exemptions made for medical and religious reasons, so employees and travellers must provide medical proof or testify under oath to their religious beliefs.
“These travel measures, along with mandatory vaccination for federal employees, are some of the strongest in the world because when it comes to keeping you and your family safe, when it comes to avoiding lockdowns for everyone, this is no time for half measures,” said Prime Minister Trudeau at a press conference.
