Aug. 14 (UPI) — The Canadian government announced Friday that it will require all commercial plane, train and boat passengers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Transportation Ministry said the new requirement will go into effect sometime this fall, no later than the end of October. Additionally, all federal public servants must be vaccinated, including those working in federally regulated air, rail or marine transportation sectors.
“The government of Canada is leading by example in requiring vaccinations for public service employees, and we are asking all federally regulated employers to develop vaccine plans to ensure their employees and workplaces are safe,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said.
“This is the right thing to do and will ensure Canada continues to build back better from the global COVID-19 pandemic.”
As of Friday afternoon, Canada has administered more than 51.25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. According to the COVID-19 Tracker Canada, 71.72% of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine and 62.69% is fully vaccinated.
There have been 1.44 million confirmed cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic and more than 26,000 deaths, World Health Organization data indicates.
Canada’s neighbor to the south, the United States, also requires all federal employees to either get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing. President Joe Biden, though, has stopped short of requiring vaccination for travel, instead mandating masks.
