New Brunswick drops COVID-19 vaccine requirement for most government employees

New Brunswick has dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate for most employees, except those who work in health care and other vulnerable sectors, and is calling back those who qualify who were placed on unpaid leave five months ago.

"Vaccination will no longer be a condition of employment except for employees working in facilities of the regional health authorities, [Extra-Mural and] Ambulance NB and corrections which remain vulnerable sectors," Cheryl Hansen, clerk of the Executive Council and head of the public service, wrote in an email to provincial government employees Friday.

Those employees will remain on leave without pay until they have received two doses of a COVID vaccine.

The leave without pay for unvaccinated employees in all other settings, including schools, will end on March 28, she said.

As of Jan. 19, the latest figures available, 484 employees remained on indefinite leave without pay because they failed to provide proof of full vaccination or a medical exemption. They represented fewer than one per cent of the government's more than 58,000 employees.

With the lifting of all provincial COVID-19 restrictions Monday, the vaccination mandate has been under review.

The amended policy also applies to volunteers, onsite vendors, suppliers and contractors, according to the memo.

Will 'reassess' by end of month

Government officials did not respond to a request for comment, but subsequently issued a news release shortly before 5 p.m. with wording almost identical to Hansen's email.

It says the government will "reassess" maintaining the policy in the vulnerable sectors by the end of March.

Full vaccination remains a condition of employment for current and new employees in nursing homes and adult residential facilities licensed by the Department of Social Development, it specifies.

Treasury Board spokesperson Erika Jutras previously said any decisions about changes to the policy would be made by cabinet and the COVID cabinet committee after receiving a recommendation from Public Health.

'Right thing to do'

People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin applauded the decision, saying it's "the right thing to do."

"Other provinces have already removed the vaccination requirements for employees and it's time for New Brunswick to do the same," he said in a statement.

"We know that vaccinations protect individuals from becoming severely ill with COVID-19 but we also know that it has little to no effect on transmission. We know vaccinated individuals have become infected and have transmitted the virus to others."

Green Party Leader David Coon previously said he wanted to see the risk assessment.

"Government has to be very careful about looking at that because it does come down to occupational health and people's safety and well-being in their workplace," he had said.

Premier Blaine Higgs announced Oct. 5 that all provincial government employees in the civil service, the education system, the health-care system and Crown corporations, as well as staff in long-term care facilities, schools and licensed early learning and child-care facilities had to be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption by Nov. 19.

Those who didn't meet the deadline, roughly 2,000 workers, were sent home without pay.

Later that month, the number had decreased to 563, including:

• Part 1 (All departments) – 65 employees (0.61 per cent)
• Part 2 (Education system including all teachers, bus drivers and school district employees) – 121 employees (0.62 per cent)
• Part 3 (Health-care employees including Extra-Mural/Ambulance NB) – 320 employees (1.50 per cent)
• Part 4 (Crown corporation employees) – 57 employees (0.9 per cent)

A more recent breakdown has not been provided.

Health-care facilities and the school system have struggled with staff shortages in recent months, particularly during COVID outbreaks.

More info 'soon'

In the memo Friday, Hansen said managers and human resources services will soon receive additional instructions from Finance and Treasury Board "for communicating with and receiving" unvaccinated employees who will be returning to work.

The unvaccinated employees will also receive more information "very soon," she said.

"I remind everyone again to be kind towards each other," Hansen added.

No employees were fired for being unvaccinated, officials have said.

Last month a New Brunswick judge threw out a lawsuit against the province over its vaccination policy for employees. 

Justice Thomas Christie of the Court of Queen's Bench said the four applicants were not being forced to do anything, as they had argued.

As of Saturday, the most recent figures available, 50.7 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers have received their COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, up from 50.6 per cent on Friday, 87.4 per cent have received two vaccine doses, up from 87.3 per cent, and 92.9 per cent have received one dose, unchanged.