GUELPH – There is no vaccine hesitancy among Wellington County councillors.
“Every member of county council has voluntarily reported that they have been fully vaccinated,” said Warden Kelly Linton during his opening remarks at the Sept. 30 meeting.
In addition, Linton pointed out all members of council have also signed a declaration which states in part:
“I fully support the commitment of the county to provide a safe working environment and taking every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of our employees and volunteers, contractors, elected officials and members of the public from the hazards of COVID-19.”
The declaration also notes the county has a legal duty under the occupational health and safety act to “take responsible precautions to protect workplace health and safety, including hazards posed by infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and associated variants.”
Linton thanked council members for demonstrating “leadership to our community and our staff.
“This is yet another example of county council choosing to lead by example and choosing to respect the expertise of our health professionals to get to the finish line in our fight against COVID-19.”
In September the county announced a policy requiring all county employees to disclose their vaccination status by Sept. 22.
Although stating legitimate medical exemptions will be accommodated, the county now requires employee not fully vaccinated by Oct. 23 to undergo regular rapid tests for COVID-19.
