City says requirements for facilities will loosen along with health orders

The City of Winnipeg is announcing its plans for changes to vaccine and mask requirements in anticipation of the loosening of Public Health Orders.

Dr. Brent Roussin and Premier Heather Stefanson announced on February 11 that they plan to lift proof of vaccination requirements effective March 1 and lift mask requirements and other restrictions effective March 15.

“While we won’t know the full details or implications of these anticipated measures until such time as we see updates to the provincial Public Health Orders, our Emergency Operations Centre is nonetheless continuing to work closely with civic departments to plan for these two eventualities and their potential impacts on our programs, services, and operations,” says Michael Jack, the City of Winnipeg’s Chief Administrative Officer, in a press release Wednesday.

The City of Winnipeg says that if the province lifts proof of vaccination requirements on March 1 then the City will lift that requirement to enter City facilities and to participate in programs. "In addition, the mandatory testing program for our employees who have not provided proof of vaccination or were granted an exemption or accommodation would end," the release says.

Ninety-seven per cent of the City's front-line employees who have ongoing contact with vulnerable residents, including children under 12, or work in higher-risk settings with direct, ongoing contact with the public are fully vaccinated.

The City says they will also remove mask requirements in facilities and onboard Transit vehicles for members of the public if the province indeed lifts the mask order. The City will, though, "strongly encourage" mask use still for the public.

“While it would be our preference to maintain a mandatory mask requirement for members of the public independent of the anticipated provincial orders, it’s just not feasible,” says Jack. “We do not have the resources to properly enforce it, nor do we want to put our employees in potentially confrontational situations.”

While the public will not be required to wear masks in City facilities, employees will be required to wear them "for the foreseeable future. Other current health and safety measures in our workplaces, such as plexiglass barriers, physical distancing, encouraging the completion of the self-screening questionnaire before reporting to work, and employee symptomatic testing, will be maintained."

The City says they will release more information as new public health orders become clear.