By Oli Herrera

VACCINE MANDATE PROTEST

Health care workers organize protest following vaccine mandate

Aug 22, 2021 | 5:28 PM

PRINCE GEORGE—More than 100 people lined up just outside of University Hospital of Northern British Columbia holding signs in protest on Sunday. This is in response to Dr. Bonnie Henry’s announcement requiring all workers in long-term care and assisted living facilities to be fully vaccinated.

The announcement was made on August 12th.

Health care workers organized the protest arguing that their freedom of choice was being challenged. Arissa Norum, a long-term care aid worker and co-organizer of the protest, says that she has been wearing PPE’s throughout the pandemic as required.

She says that her—along with other coworkers—want to decide for themselves on whether or not to take the vaccine. She says she understands that not taking the vaccine could put her job at risk.

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“Does it terrify me? Yeah, but you know what? I’m standing up for what I believe in,” said Norum.

Health care workers who were protesting wore scrubs. Members of the general public were also there holding up signs in solidarity of the workers protesting.

Norum and her other co-organizer Candace Lee Stoltz say that they have had no problem consenting to rapid testing and wearing PPE’s throughout the pandemic. They want that choice to continuously be available.

“We are okay with wearing masks, we are okay to being tested multiple times a week. Although we would like our freedom of choice on the COVID-19 vaccination,” said Stoltz.

The health order also contains reporting requirements which applies to all health care workers, even those outside of long-term care and assisted living facilities. At her press conference, Dr. Henry alluded that more orders could come in the near future.

“We will be working with health authorities and unions in determining our path forward for all health care workers in the coming weeks,” said Henry.

That has sparked the conversation of a similar mandate that was amended in 2019.

Back then, the B.C. Nurses Union reached an agreement with the Health Employers Association of British Columbia to end a flu vaccine policy. It would’ve required health care workers to either wear a mask or get the flu shot.

CKPG-TV reached out for a comment from the BCNU asking for their stance on the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

““BCNU strongly encourages nurses, other health-care workers and the general public to be vaccinated against communicable diseases as a preventive measure and in accordance with the most recent scientific evidence. Vaccination provides an important layer of protection against many communicable diseases, and BCNU believes that education is the most appropriate means of achieving high vaccination rates for nurses, other health-care workers and the general public,” said Cody Hedman, CEO, BC Nurses’ Union

Michele Leer, an LPN, says that there are similarities to the 2019 amendment.

“It’s a little more forceful, because now you have the government saying ‘oh you will or else.’ And I don’t think anyone has that right to say—yeah, it’s like but not the same,” said Leer.

Health care workers have less than two months to get vaccinated or risk punishment from their employers.

The deadline is October 12th.