The City of West Kelowna is the latest Okanagan community to implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.
On Wednesday, the city announced all city employees will require proof of vaccination by Jan. 4, 2022.
On Monday, the City of Penticton announced a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for city staff, joining Kelowna, Kamloops and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.
According to the City of West Kelowna, “the intent of this policy is to help protect employees and the community, and further enables the city to safely and effectively deliver services to its citizens.”
The policy applies to all city employees, regardless of work location.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have worked closely with our employees to provide a safe work environment in line with public heath orders and, aside from those orders, we need to do as much as we can beyond that,” said chief administrative officer Paul Gipps.
“The health and well-being of our employees and our citizens remains paramount. Not only will this policy help protect our employees, it will help protect our citizens who we serve across all city facilities.”
The City of West Kelowna also noted that “the implementation of this policy will allow sufficient time for City staff who have not been fully vaccinated to receive Health Canada approved COVID-19 first and second doses prior to Jan. 4.”