Ontario announces mandatory vaccine plans for health, education workers; 3rd doses for some – CBC
Government pausing further reopening; expands vaccine eligibility to youth turning 12 this year
Aug 17, 2021
Employers in Ontario’s public education and several key health-care settings will need to have COVID-19 vaccination policies in place for staff in the coming weeks, the province announced Tuesday.
As the provincial government navigates a fourth wave of the pandemic, it issued a news release saying the policies are required to help combat spread of the highly infectious delta variant as fall and winter approach.
Ontario will therefore remain in the final step of its “Roadmap to Reopen” plan for now, pressing pause on further lifting remaining restrictions and workplace safety measures — despite surpassing vaccination targets. The province will also offer booster shots to certain vulnerable populations and expand eligibility for vaccination to children turning 12 this year.
Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, announced the new measures at a news conference in Toronto Tuesday afternoon.
“We are preparing aggressively for the fall. I’m sorry to say I think it’s going to be a difficult fall and winter,” he told reporters.
