Vaccine, testing mandates for some Manitoba government workers start Oct. 18
CBC
New public health rules requiring some Manitoba government employees who work with the public to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular testing will come into effect in just over three weeks.
The public health order goes into effect Oct. 18 and impacts any public servant with direct and ongoing contact with vulnerable populations, the province said in a news release on Friday.
Employees who aren't fully immunized must have tested negative for COVID-19 within the last 48 hours to go to work. The province will use rapid antigen tests to meet that requirement, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said in an online briefing with reporters.
The province first announced last month that vaccinations or regular testing would be required for certain workers.
The new rules apply to the following workers:
Workers in those settings who aren't vaccinated by Oct. 18 will have to start being regularly tested for COVID-19 and provide proof of a negative test result each time.
If workers test positive, they will need to self-isolate for 10 days, test negative for the illness with a rapid test and provide those results to their workplace before they will be allowed to return to work.