BC's Vaccine Mandate For 30K Workers Starts Soon & These Are The Consequences For Refusing

The B.C. government announced in October that all B.C. Public Service employees will have to be fully vaccinated by November 22.

With the deadline coming up, they have just finalized the policy, detailing what will happen to those who do not get fully vaccinated by the required date.

The government said that the policy "applies to any employee working for the BC Public Service, regardless of whether the employee works on site or remotely."

"Employees who do not have at least one dose of the vaccine by Nov. 22, where there is not an approved exemption based on a medical condition or other legitimate grounds, will be placed on unpaid leave for three months," the statement adds.

Those who have received only one dose will be able to make alternative working arrangements.

They will, however, be required to be fully vaccinated within 35 days of getting the first dose. If they fail to do this, they will be placed on unpaid leave.

If an employee is still unvaccinated after the three-month unpaid leave, they may then be terminated. This new policy applies to all 30,000 employees of the B.C. Public Service.

According to the release, proof of vaccine must be shown through the official B.C. vaccine card. People in B.C. also need a separate vaccine passport for international travel.

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.