Alberta public servants will need to be fully vaccinated or provide negative test results, premier says
CBC
All Alberta public servants will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide regular negative test results, Premier Jason Kenney said Thursday.
The policy, approved by the province's COVID-19 cabinet committee earlier in the day, will affect 25,500 provincial employees who must all submit proof of full vaccination by Nov. 30.
"We value our public servants and the important work that they do," Kenney said. "That's why we want to ensure that they're operating in safe workplaces and that we're doing everything we can to protect the millions of Albertans to whom they provide services."
Employees can be exempted if they obtain an accommodation based on the Alberta Human Rights Act or if they choose to produce a negative PCR test result, obtained at employee's expense and done within 72 hours of every scheduled workday.
Based on general statistics around uptake of vaccinations among Albertans, about 4,000 public service workers still need to be vaccinated, said public service commissioner Tim Grant.
Employees who don't comply with the policy will be put on unpaid leave, he said.
"We're not going to fire anyone," Grant said. "Our aim is to encourage and educate all the members of the public service to get vaccinated. We believe that's the best, the safest, the most appropriate route to go."
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