Welland ends its city staff, visitors COVID-19 vaccination status policy

The first meeting of the newly-elected Welland City Council on November 16 set a definitive tone as they voted to suspend their year-old vaccine status policy.

Back in October 2021, the city decided that both staffers and visitors had to prove their COVID-19 vaccination status to either work or enter their facilities.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the City of Welland, through its Emergency Control Group, has maintained an ongoing commitment to implement necessary public health  measures and take preventative action to protect the health and safety of our employees and the city’s residents who visit our facilities,” said the city in a release.

The City emphasized that it continues to have an obligation to take “all necessary and reasonable precautions to
protect our employees, as outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and to create a safe working environment.”

“We continue to encourage following all public health recommendations and guidelines to keep our staff and visitors safe,” said Andrea Daisley, Welland’s Human Resources Manager.

“The policy is only suspended at this time and remains a tool we can use if the requirement to do so arises.”

That means Welland is prepared to implement and recommend control measures, including the reinstatement of their Vaccine Status Policy, be reimplemented should there be a rise in COVID-19 cases or a staff outbreak.