Most unvaccinated city workers can return to jobs in April

Unvaccinated City of Ottawa employees will be able to return to their jobs in early April, as long as they don't work in certain high-risk settings.

As of April 4, the city's mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy will be scaled back to only apply to municipal long-term care employees, shelter and respite centre workers and paramedics.

The rollback comes as the province also eases public health restrictions, suggesting an "improvement" in Ontario's COVID-19 situation, according to the memo to council from Valerie Turner, the city's general manager of innovative client services.

Since the city's vaccine policy was implemented in November, more than 98 per cent of active full-time employees got all their shots, Turner said in Friday's memo.

• No jab, no job, City of Ottawa tells its workers

• Unions file grievances over city's mandatory vaccination policy

Any workers in those high-risk settings who remain unvaccinated as of April 4 will have their leaves "extended until further notice," said Turner.

City contractors will also no longer need to be vaccinated as of April 4, according to the memo, as long as they don't work with shelters, respite centres or long-term care homes.

Some masking rules remain

Ontario is also set to ease masking restrictions as of Monday, due to the province's stable COVID-19 test positivity rate and declining hospitalizations.

Even so, masking will still be mandatory for paramedics and anyone inside a city-run long-term care home, shelter or respite centre.

The rules also still apply to anyone attending one of Ottawa Public Health's vaccination, dental or sexual health clinics, or anyone using their supervised drug consumption services, the city said in a Friday afternoon press release.

Bus and LRT operators will also still have to wear masks, the city said, as will riders themselves.

The rules also still apply to Para Transpo users.