The federal government in Ottawa is making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for airline and rail passengers, transportation workers and all federal employees.
The federal government plans to require all bureaucrats and other staff to be inoculated against COVID-19 by early autumn this year. Workers and passengers on airlines, railways and cruise ships will also need proof of vaccination by the end of October to continue working.
The vaccine mandate is an attempt to speed up a vaccine drive that is losing momentum. Canada’s two largest airlines, Air Canada (TSX:AC) and WestJet (TSX:WJA), said they support mandatory vaccines for employees.
WestJet Airlines said it “will adhere to the requirement for domestic travelers to be fully vaccinated or tested prior to departure. The airline group is advocating that rapid-antigen testing is an acceptable, accessible and affordable alternative for unvaccinated travelers.”
The vaccination requirement applies to railways that travel between provinces but not urban commuter railways, which aren’t regulated by the federal government.
Other countries, including the U.S., are also imposing stricter rules for federal workers to limit the spread of COVID-19. Canada has a relatively high vaccination rate with more than 70% of the eligible population now fully vaccinated.