Most City employees report they are vaccinated against COVID-19

CALGARY – As of October 29, 86 per cent of City of Calgary employees are fully or partially vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees are required to declare their vaccination status and upload their records by November 1 under The City’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. This Policy is intended to maximize vaccination rates among City employees to help protect employees and enable the continued safe delivery of City services to citizens.

As of October 29, 82% of City employees are fully vaccinated and 4% are partially vaccinated. Among Calgary Fire employees, 80% are fully vaccinated and 2% partially vaccinated. Calgary Police Service reports 85% fully and 3% partially vaccinated.

“The City of Calgary places a primary importance on ensuring the safety of our employees and citizens,” says City Manager David Duckworth. “I’m pleased to see that the majority of our employees have stepped up to get their vaccinations, which is proven to be the best defense against COVID-19.”

City employees who are not fully vaccinated by November 1 are required to take part in a rapid testing program and a mandatory education program about the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. Home testing kits are now being distributed to employees who will be taking part in the rapid testing program. The test is an at-home rapid antigen test and employees are required to upload proof of a negative COVID-19 test no less than twice weekly, with a minimum of 72 hours between tests. These kits will be provided at no cost for use until December 1, 2021.

Employees may become fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination at any time after November 1, in which case they will no longer be required to participate in the rapid testing program.

After December 1, City employees who are not fully vaccinated or have not provided proof of vaccination will be required to continue to participate in the rapid testing program on their own time and at their own expense.

Effective November 1, all new City employees will have to comply with the Vaccination Policy.

With most employees now fully or partially vaccinated, we don’t expect any service disruptions to Calgarians but will work to minimize any that arise. All City business units have business continuity plans in place to address COVID-19 and other issues. Business units are monitoring and assessing the situation with the COVID-19 Vaccination Policy and have contingencies planned. Emergency services, including Calgary Police Service and Calgary Fire are not projecting any service disruptions associated with the COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. All current COVID protocols will continue to be followed.

“As public servants, each of us must do our part to protect ourselves, our co-workers and our community whether through vaccination or rapid testing,” says Duckworth.

Resources and supports are available for employees struggling with issues relating to the pandemic through the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP). Information on the COVID-19 Vaccination Policy is available on calgary.ca.

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