Growing number of Canadian hospitals to require visitors to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry

A growing number of Canadian hospitals are enacting policies requiring visitors and care partners to show proof of vaccination in order to gain entry, sparking yet another pandemic-era debate for ethicists.

After much of the country’s hospitals moved to implement mandatory vaccine policies for employees, a growing number are turning their attention to visitors and occasional care staff, requiring they too show proof of vaccination before being allowed to enter hospital facilities.

It’s a move that has stirred yet another pandemic-era debate for Canadians and ethicists alike, particularly considering the delicate and sometimes life-altering business that happens behind hospital doors.

“I think of all the places that we need to show proof of vaccinations, this is one of them,” Elizabeth Bardon, COVID incident commander at Kingston Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, told CTV National News.

“People who come to hospital are not coming by choice, they are very ill and right now, our patients are sicker than they've ever been... we have a special duty of care to make sure that they don't get infected with something else while they're here.”