Deadline for municipal employees to get vaccinated passes, City of Penticton sees 99 per cent compliance

Photo: Castanet Staff

Ninety-nine per cent of Penticton municipal staffers have complied with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy that came into effect this week.

The City confirmed the numbers Thursday, and noted that all of council has also complied.

The policy required all staff and council members to have proof of full vaccination or enter a request for accommodation by Jan. 4, 2022.

“Employee and public safety has been a top priority throughout the pandemic and this policy is an additional measure to help ensure City workplaces, staff and the public are as safe as possible,” said acting general manager of finance and administration Angela Campbell.

“These are extraordinary circumstances and we were very pleased to see the level of compliance with the policy.”

The City will now begin meeting with staff who have not complied, and working with those who have requested accommodation to review those asks.

If, in a few weeks, staff are not vaccinated or do not have an approved accommodation plan, they will not be allowed back to work.

The City's active workforce includes 331 staff members.

Other municipal hubs in the Okanagan Valley, including the City of Kelowna, City of West Kelowna and City of Vernon, also have vaccine mandates for employees.