SD57 Board of Education expected to make decision on staff vaccine mandate ‘fairly quickly’

“I know my colleagues, the health officers in Interior and Northern Health have been working with their school districts, and supporting the need to make sure everybody in the school is vaccinated,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry. “So yes, they are very supportive of vaccine mandates in those areas in particular.”

It’s clear with high transmission rates currently, and lower vaccination rates than other parts of the province, the picture in Northern BC is much different than the Lower Mainland.

Dr. Henry alluded Tuesday that public health strongly supported vaccine mandates for Interior and Northern Health due to those two factors.

School District 57 Board of Education Chair Sharel Warrington says there is plenty of hard work being done

“We know there is urgency, and we’re at a stage now where we will be seriously considering what our public statement is going to be,” says Warrington. “I can’t say when that statement will come forward but I will say it will be fairly quickly.”

Warrington did confirm the board had not completed a SD57 survey to determine the immunization status of staff against COVID-19, which fits under step one of the Ministry of Education’s guidelines.

The BCTF released their own survey which concludes 91% of their members in Northern and Interior Health are double vaccinated against COVID-19.

by Caden Fanshaw

SD57 Board of Education expected to make decision on staff vaccine mandate ‘fairly quickly’

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