The Parliament in Ottawa resumes on November 22, 2021, after a long break following the 2021 federal election.
The latest statistics show 95.3 per cent of federal employees have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Back on October 6, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau put in place a mandatory vaccine policy for all federal employees and Canadian Armed Forces members that came into effect on October 30, 2021.
If a worker does not wish to be vaccinated or does not disclose their vaccination status by then, they will be placed on administrative leave with no pay. Trudeau made the two mandates part of his re-election campaign in September.
Kenora MP, Eric Melillo is happy that federal employees are taking the vaccine seriously, and doing their part in protecting themselves and the people around them.
“All vaccines approved in Canada are safe and effective to fight COVID-19, and I continue to encourage everyone who can, to get their shot. It’s with these very strong vaccination numbers that we now see some light at the end of the tunnel,” said Melillo.
In Ontario that light will hopefully come by March 28, 2022, which is the end date the province has set out for their plan to safely reopen the province by slowly lifting public health measures by that date. This plan was made possible by the high vaccination rates the province currently has.
“I believe that is a testament to everyone across the province who had followed guidelines and done their part to help put this in the rearview mirror lets keep going and get it done,” concluded Melillo.
Currently, Ontario is in phase one, which started back on October 25, 2021, where the province lifted capacity limits in certain settings where proof of vaccination is required.
These settings include restaurants, bars, and other food or drink establishments; indoor areas of sports and recreational facilities such as gyms and where personal physical fitness trainers provide instruction; casinos, bingo halls, and other gaming establishments; and indoor meeting and event spaces.
The next phase of the plan is scheduled to start on November 15, 2021. The government intends to lift capacity limits in the remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required, including food or drink establishments with dance facilities (e.g., night clubs, wedding receptions in meeting/event spaces where there is dancing); strip clubs, bathhouses, and sex clubs.
Today (November 5, 2021), the province reported 563 new cases of COVID-19.
As of today (November 5, 2021) in Ontario 88.3 per cent of those eligible have received one dose, while 84.7 per cent have two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Locally, across the Northwestern Health Unit catchment area, 89.3 per cent have received at least one dose, and 83.6 per cent are fully vaccinated.