UHN will require that unvaccinated employees test negative for COVID-19 before arriving at work
University Health Network employees who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine will soon have to test negative for the virus before showing up for work.
UHN spokesperson Gillian Howard tells CTV News Toronto that the hospital network is in the process of implementing a new policy which will establish strict testing requirements for unvaccinated employees with the hopes of having it fully in effect by Aug. 9.
Under the policy, all fulltime, part-time and causal staff will have to either disclose their vaccination status to Health Services or formally indicate that they don’t wish to disclose their vaccination status.
Howard says that employees who are unvaccinated or choose not to disclose their status will then be expected to take a rapid at-home test for COVID-19 and report the result at lest 48 hours prior to coming to work.
Those employees will also have to participate in an education session about vaccination, though an exemption to that will be made for employees who have a documented medical reason for not being vaccinated.
“We are implementing this to keep patients and staff as safe as we possibly can,” Howard said in a statement. “The best protection for anyone is double vaccination which has been made available to all employees of UHN.”
Howard said that the University Health Network has been communicating with employees about the new policy since June.
She said that between 85 and 90 per cent of all employees are vaccinated, meaning that the testing requirement will only impact a minority of its workforce.
As of July 12, about 18,000 staff had fulfilled the reporting requirement and 750 home test kits had been distributed.
UHN oversees a number of downtown hospitals, including Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.