As of next month, BC public service employees will no longer be required to provide proof of having received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine..The province said Friday its decision to rescind the policy was made due to “the high level of vaccination” among public service employees, as well as “the current state of the pandemic.”.As per the Ministry of Health, more than 98% of employees met the requirement..“Rescinding the vaccination policy means a small number of employees on administrative leave due to non-compliance will be provided the opportunity to return to the workplace,” said the province..This change also means contractors and other non-employees don't need to be vaccinated to enter BC Public Service workplaces..Officials said the requirement, introduced November 2021, was “always intended as a temporary measure.”.“While it's now possible to remove this policy, the pandemic is not over and the Public Service Agency continues to encourage all BC Public Service employees to remain up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster doses,” said the province..Those working in a variety of healthcare settings must still show proof of vaccination..While other provinces allowed nurses not vaccinated against COVID-19 to return to work amid nationwide staffing shortages, BC's Ministry of Health reiterates it will not follow suit. Instead it will make it easier for internationally educated nurses to get registered and licenced — a move supported by the BC College of Nurses and Midwives, the Nursing Community Assessment Service, and Health Match BC..A BC-based non-profit is taking legal action against the provincial government’s injection mandate for healthcare workers..The petition was filed by the Canadian Society for the Advancement of Science in Public Policy last year, the basis of which argues that provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s orders requiring healthcare workers to be double-vaccinated is “unreasonable and unconstitutional.”.More information on the organization can be found here.
