Ontario government workers will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination or undergo regular testing to go to work as of April 4, an internal announcement reveals.
The Government of Ontario includes ministries, agencies and Crown Corporations, and has a workforce of more than 60,000 public servants called the Ontario Public Service, or OPS.
The existing COVID-19 Safe Workplace Directive went into effect last year on Oct. 1, and was developed in consultation with the Office of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Ministry of Health and OPS bargaining agents.
It requires all workers to provide proof of vaccination or attend an educational session and undertake regular testing to continue working.
“On March 1, 2022, an announcement was shared with all OPS staff regarding the resumption of the OPS Return to the Workplace Plan,” said Kyle Richardson, spokesperson for the Ontario Treasury Board Secretariat. “As part of the announcement, it was shared that the OPS requirement to provide proof of vaccination or undergo regular testing will also be lifted by Monday, April 4, except for in high-risk congregate settings.”
This means that managers will no longer be required to collect proof of vaccination or testing from their teams, he said.
Active screening will remain for individuals who work in high-risk congregate settings, where all government and non-government employees are still required to undergo regular rapid antigen testing, regardless of vaccination status.
The date coincides with the province’s call for its employees to return to the workplace, with an expectation of being in the office three times a week by April 4. About half of the employees have been working remotely for part or all of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The province has not yet publicly announced whether its guidance to businesses, organizations, post-secondary institutions, hospitals and long-term care facilities will also be lifted on April 4.
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