Visitor vaccination requirement coming to B.C. health-care settings, starting with care homes
Full vaccination against COVID-19 will soon be mandatory for visitors in health-care settings across British Columbia, beginning with long-term care homes and assisted living facilities.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the new requirement will take effect later this month, bringing facilities such as care homes and hospitals in line with restaurants, movie theatres and other non-essential businesses that already require proof-of-vaccination for entry.
"This supports and protects our health-care workers and the people receiving care and living in these higher-risk settings," Henry said.
"Those who are not fully vaccinated will not be able to visit in health-care settings as we go into this time of increased respiratory illness and challenges (relating to COVID-19)."
The visitor vaccination requirement in long-term care homes and assisted living facilities will take effect Oct. 12, the day before full immunization is becoming mandatory for employees and volunteers in those settings.
It will expand to acute care and community care visitors on Oct. 26, as the vaccination mandate expands to workers in those settings as well.
Henry said members of the public will be asked to show the same B.C. Vaccine Card they use while dining out and attending sporting events.
Some worried family members of seniors in care have been urging the government to implement such a requirement, with the backing of the BC Care Providers Association, which said the rise of the Delta variant has made the risk of visitors introducing COVID-19 into those facilities a legitimate concern.
"We have not seen visitors as a source of infection to date," CEO Terry Lake told CTV News on Monday. "But with the Delta variant, we know it's so easily transmissible, we think this is a possibility."
There will be limited exceptions to the visitor vaccination requirement, Henry said, including in palliative care and end-of-life care.
The provincial health officer also provided an update on the mandate for workers in long-term care and assisted living. While current employees must have received both shots by Oct. 13, or they will be forced to begin unpaid leave, those hired between Oct. 12 and 26 can begin work with only one dose of vaccine while taking additional COVID-19 precautions.
They also must be committed to receiving their second dose within 35 days of their first, Henry said.
Unvaccinated workers on unpaid leave will be under similar terms if they change their mind and agree to get immunized.
"If you do decide to get your first dose, it will be seven days before you're able to return to work with additional precautions in place," Henry said.
Workers who have asked for a medical exemption to the vaccine requirement will also be required to take additional COVID-19 precautions while they wait for their application to be assessed.
Earlier in the day, the B.C. Public Service Agency announced that all employees – including correctional officers, wildfire fighters, social workers and more – will need to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination by Nov. 22, a move that was applauded by the provincial health officer.
"We need to be showing the way and setting an example in our province," she said. "I commend these efforts and encourage businesses to consider this well-considered approach."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Florida deputies who fatally shot U.S. airman burst into wrong apartment, attorney says
Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, an attorney for the man's family said Wednesday.