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TNRD to require employees, contractors, volunteers to be fully vaccinated

New mandate comes into effect Feb. 1, 2022
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The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has announced a vaccine mandate that requires employees, contractors and volunteers to be fully vaccinated by Feb. 1, 2022.

The deadline allows enough time for those who haven’t yet received the first dose to become fully vaccinated. Employees, contractors and volunteers who choose to not comply with the new policy by the Feb. 1 deadline will not be eligible to work or provide services for the TNRD.

“Being vaccinated is the most effective measure to limit the spread of COVID-19,” chief administrative officer Scott Hildebrand said in a news release. “Making vaccination a requirement is an important step to ensuring our workplaces are as safe as possible for our employees and the public.”

The policy doesn’t include elected officials, such as area directors. The board would need to bring in its own policy, Hildebrand told Black Press Media, if directors chose to go in that direction.

A vaccine mandate for the board of directors has been a topic of discussion since a regular meeting in October. Hildebrand noted board members were in favour of a vaccine policy.

Those who cannot comply with the vaccine mandate, whether for a medical condition or reason related to the BC Human Rights Code, will be accommodated, the press release noted. The requirement to vaccinate “aligns with guidance from the provincial health officer recommending vaccine policies by employers.”



newsroom@clearwatertimes.com

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