School districts in BC may now be required to verify the vaccination status of staff.
On Monday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry posted an order stating local medical health officers can now require school administrators to report information about staff vaccinations.
It’s at the discretion of the local medical health officer to implement the order, and school administrators would be required to request proof of vaccination from each staff member and keep a record of each staff member’s vaccination status.
However, the information will be provided to health authorities in a way that doesn’t identify individuals.
Dr. Henry says a lack of information about vaccination status in school settings interferes with efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
The provincial health officer says it “constitutes a health hazard under the Public Health Act.”
Unless a school district has implemented a local vaccine mandate, being vaccinated for COVID-19 is not a requirement to work in schools.
Dr. Henry says unvaccinated employees are at a higher risk of infecting others with COVID-19.
Shey says information about staff vaccination rates will help mitigate the risk and respond to exposures and outbreaks in schools.
