HARD LINE

Canada to Require COVID-19 Vaccines for Fliers, Government Employees

The mandates would cover more than 300,000 federal employees, along with many more in federally regulated industries.

Canadian citizens will need to be COVID-19 vaccinated in order to travel the country by plane, train, or ship, the Canadian government announced Friday. “Vaccine requirements in the transportation sector will help protect the safety of employees, their families, passengers, their communities, and all Canadians. And more broadly, it will hasten Canada’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” the country’s transport minister, Omar Alghabra, said in a statement, per CBC News. The government will implement exceptions for those who cannot be vaccinated, such as those under 12 or with specific health conditions. A timetable for when the mandate would be implemented, though Alghabra said the government was taking a “measured and practical approach” to institute it as soon as possible.

It coincides with a mandate for Canadian government employees to be vaccinated, one set to begin as early as next month though no later than Oct. 31. That mandate would cover more than 300,000 federal employees, along with those working in federally regulated industries.