Business, labour groups divided over preferred COVID-19 isolation policies

Photo: The Canadian Press

A man displays his COVID-19 rapid test kit after receiving it at a pharmacy in Montreal, Monday, December 20, 2021. Canadian business and labour groups are at odds over the preferred isolation times for people who have tested positive for COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Canadian business and labour groups are at odds over preferred isolation times for people who have tested positive for COVID-19

The question has renewed urgency after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommended on Monday that Americans with COVID-19 should isolate only for five days rather than 10 if they're not showing symptoms.

Ontario's top doctor postponed a news conference Tuesday so that the province can review isolation guidelines, while Quebec has already relaxed its isolation guidelines for healthcare workers who have tested positive.

Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, said it would be welcome news if provinces were to follow a similar policy as the CDC because the labour shortage is a "massive" issue for small and medium businesses.

He says that the more provinces can safely limit the amount of time people are out of the workforce, the better.

Unifor National President Jerry Dias however said in a statement that now is "precisely the wrong time to let down our guard."

He says that shortening isolation times is like playing with fire, a gamble on workers' lives, and that public health policy shouldn't be used to resolve the deep-rooted crisis in the job market.