B.C. vaccine mandate for public service workers ending

B.C. is ending its vaccine mandate for public service workers in the province.

The change applies to all BC Public Service employees and means those who refused to follow the mandate and who were placed on administrative leave may return to the workplace as of April 3.

While the mandate is being lifted, vaccination is still required in “high-risk settings,” such as health care facilities. Vaccines are also required in settings with “provincial health officer orders or other vaccination requirements.”

The province says more than 98 per cent of workers “met the requirement,” adding the change will see “a small number of employees” be allowed to return.

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“The Public Service Agency has provided direction to ministries and will work with supervisors to support a smooth transition,” the B.C. government says in a release. “This change also means that contractors and other non-employees do not need to be vaccinated to enter BC Public Service workplaces.”

The mandate took effect in November 2021. The province says it was “always intended as a temporary measure.”

When it was introduced, the provincial government noted it would apply to roughly 300,000 people.

Though the mandate is being lifted, the B.C. government continues to encourage people to get vaccinated, saying it is the “best protection against severe illness with COVID-19 for individuals, including children and youth.”