Employees with Canada’s biggest airline will need to be fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.
Air Canada announced Wednesday that it will be requiring all employees and all future employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 30.
The requirement covers employees with Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, as well as Air Canada Vacations and all employees are expected to disclose their vaccination status by the October deadline.
“The decision to require all employees of Air Canada mainline, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Vacations to be fully vaccinated and report their vaccination status is another initiative to ensure the safety and well-being of all employees and customers,” the airline said in a media release.
Air Canada says testing will not be offered as an alternative to vaccination and those who aren’t fully vaccinated by the deadline will face “consequences” such as unpaid leave or termination. However, the airline says employees who cannot be vaccinated for “valid” reasons, such as a medical condition, will be accommodated.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic Air Canada has been a leader in the adoption of science-based measures in response to COVID-19. This has included the airline being among the first to require pre-boarding temperature screening of customers, obligatory onboard mask-wearing policies and the use of testing,” the airline said in its release.
Air Canada’s policy is in line with a recent federal government announcement that requires employees in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors to be vaccinated by the end of October 2021.
Air Canada introduces mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for all employees and new hires to further protect the safety of employees and customers.
Read more: https://t.co/9TkoLqMrB2
— Air Canada (@AirCanada) August 25, 2021
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