Lower Mainland construction workers offered COVID-19 vaccine ‘fast lane’

Construction workers in B.C.’s Lower Mainland will now have access to a COVID-19 vaccine “fast lane.”

The BC Construction Association announced the measure Thursday, which will apply to workers in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health regions.

The plan will allow construction workers to get first doses of vaccine as walk-ins at preset times and locations, without registering ahead of time.

“Our workforce has done a phenomenal job of keeping safe during pandemic, and that after a long day on the jobsite it can be hard to prioritize getting your vaccine scheduled when you get home,” BCCA president Chris Atchison said in a media release.

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The locations are the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver, the Christine Sinclair Community Centre in Burnaby and the Abbotsford Ag Rec, with clinics operating between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on June 24, 25 and 30 and July 8 and 9.

The association said it chose locations in areas with a high density of construction sites and workers, and chose end-of-week and end-of-day timeslots to make it easier for workers to drop in on their way home.

Government ID and a provincial health number aren’t needed, but will speed up the process, the BCCA said.

However, workers will need to bring their hard hat, site access card or construction ID.

The BCCA said clinics on Vancouver Island and in B.C.’s north and Southern Interior have yet to be confirmed.