COVID-19: City of Vancouver and Grouse Mountain Join Growing List of Mandatory Vaccination Sites

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The number of mandatory vaccination orders in place to access sites or keep your job in BC continues to grow, and Grouse Mountain and the city of Vancouver published their plans Monday.

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Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said all city workers will need to be fully vaccinated (two doses) by December 6, 2021 or they will not be allowed to enter the workplace.

“Vancouver has one of the highest vaccination rates, making us one of the safest cities in the world as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Stewart said in a prepared statement. The city of Vancouver has a 90 percent vaccination rate for those 12 and older, compared to 83.4 percent in the province.

“Having all city personnel fully vaccinated by December 6 is another step toward building our success as a community and making sure we put the health of our workers and the public first.”

The City of Vancouver has around 8,000 full and part-time employees and is the first municipality in British Columbia to place such an order.

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City Manager Paul Mochrie said the vaccination policy will provide exemptions for people with a “protected legal basis,” such as for medical or other reasons under the British Columbia Human Rights Code.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Grouse Mountain revealed that all workers and guests will need to be fully vaccinated by November 15, 2021.

North Vancouver Ski Resort will have a one-time vaccination verification process for pass holders, while people with daily passes will need to show proof of vaccination (BC vaccination card) at each visit.

The provincial health official, Dr. Bonnie Henry, has already established the obligation that any worker in a hospital or a long-term care facility be fully vaccinated, but does not have the power to place orders in non-workplaces. sanitary.

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However, at her suggestion, BC Hydro two weeks ago ordered vaccinations for all its workers at the Site C dam project, where there had been two COVID-19 outbreaks. BC Ferries has also demanded vaccination of its workers, but not of the passengers.

There are 4,917 active COVID-19 cases in British Columbia, of which 360 are being treated in hospital, including 151 in intensive care. These numbers are relatively stable.

The British Columbia Ministry of Health reported 26 deaths in the past three days. 23,500 doses of vaccines were administered during the same period, including 7,087 crucial first doses.

Vancouver Coastal Health appears to be benefiting from its relatively high vaccination rate, ranking fourth out of five health authorities for new cases reported Monday.

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Despite being the second largest health authority in British Columbia, behind Fraser Health, Vancouver Coastal reported 212 cases in the past three days. The significantly smaller Interior Health (322) and Northern Health (212) authorities reported more, while Fraser Health topped the list with 737 out of a total of 1,846 cases.

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