Ontario will remain in Step 3 of its re-opening plan and require health and education workers to get COVID-19 vaccinations or take regular tests as part of its response to the highly-contagious Delta variant.
The province’s top doctor, Dr. Kieran Moore, says vaccine booster shots will also be offered to patients with certain cancers, and long-term care and retirement home residents starting as early as this week.
But the policies announced by Dr. Moore fall short of making vaccinations mandatory for health care and education workers — as many health care and municipal leaders have demanded.
Instead, employers in those sectors will be required to ask staff to disclose their vaccination status and implement regular testing for those who are unvaccinated.
