WHITEHORSE – The Premier of Yukon has announced a mandate to vaccinate government workers, including frontline health care workers and teachers, but the territory has yet to determine the consequences for those who refuse to comply with it.
Sandy Silver said on Wednesday that employees were to receive their first dose of vaccine by November 30 and be fully immunized by January 30.
Cabinet ministers will meet this week to consider further details, including whether someone would be put on unpaid leave for failing to meet the original deadline.
There will be no alternative like COVID-19 testing at work for anyone who is unvaccinated, Silver said.
“This requirement will also apply to employees of our partner organizations that the government funds to provide services to vulnerable populations,” he said.
Ted Hupe, head of the Yukon Teachers’ Association, said he had met with government officials about a vaccination mandate on Oct. 19 and again on Monday and asked about the consequences for them. unvaccinated, but had received no information.
“Even Monday there was nothing to share with us,” he said. “We were in favor of a vaccination mandate if there were measures put in place that would allow the unvaccinated to continue working, and I mean regular testing and use (of personal protective equipment) and things like physical distancing. “
Hupe said the territory currently does not have enough teachers and that a “huge hole” will be created if those who are not vaccinated are put on leave or made redundant.
It is estimated that 90 percent of teachers are vaccinated in the Yukon, he said, adding that many who are not could be ready to quit their jobs.
A spokeswoman for the Yukon Employees’ Association said no one was available for comment.
A proof of vaccination card based on the British Columbia model is also being prepared for people 12 years of age and over to access non-essential services. Silver said the territory is finalizing a list of where the map is to be presented.
Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Catherine Elliott said the territory recorded 182 new cases of the virus in the first 29 days of October, a 125% increase from the previous month.
Almost 46% of cases were in people who were fully vaccinated, but they were protected against serious illness, Elliott said.
The territory said in a statement on Wednesday that there had been 29 new cases between Monday and Wednesday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections to 973 since the start of the pandemic. Ten people have died during the pandemic.
Eighty-five percent of eligible residents aged 12 and over received both doses of the vaccine.
Elliott said vaccination rates must increase as the pandemic continues.
“Withdrawing the vaccination now will not solve the problem of the risk of contracting COVID. And I think we really just have to come to terms with this as part of our new reality of living with COVID-19. “
Booster shots are offered in the Yukon for people 50 years of age and over because the immunity of the elderly wanes months after receiving their last dose of a vaccine.
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