Chatham-Kent could follow in the footsteps of other communities and make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for municipal staff.
On Monday, North-Kent councillor Joe Faas expressed his support to make the shot a requirement for municipal employees, adding that "there's a bit of urgency in doing this."
Faas attempted to introduce a motion Monday night, without the regular notice period, asking for a policy to make vaccinations mandatory. However, that move failed to gain enough support from fellow council members, so his motion will be up for discussion at the next meeting on September 13, 2021 instead.
"The best way to prevent COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths in Canada is to increase population immunity through vaccinations," said Faas.
He noted that other municipalities have brought in policies mandating employees be fully vaccinated.
"There's a bit of urgency in doing this," said Faas.
Chatham-Kent Chief Administrative Officer Don Shropshire told members of the media last week that municipal officials in Chatham-Kent had begun working on vaccination policies for municipal employees, but there is no official policy in place right now.
At that time, Shropshire said localized policies would be mandated no later than the first week of September.
