Canada to require air travelers to be vaccinated

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government will soon require all air travelers and passengers on interprovincial trains to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said Friday that includes all commercial air travelers, passengers on trains between provinces and cruise ship passengers.

“As soon as possible in the Fall and no later than the end of October, the Government of Canada will require employees in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors to be vaccinated. The vaccination requirement will also extend to certain travelers. This includes all commercial air travelers,” his office said in a statement.

The government is also requiring vaccinations for all federal public servants in the country.

The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic Leblanc noted the federal government is the largest employer in the country.

Leblanc said it is the government’s duty to guarantee the safety of their employees and those who they serve.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to call an election on Sunday for Sept. 20.

Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

Alghabra said additional measures are need to encourage more people to get vaccinated and to protect the hard won gains the country has made to flatten the epidemic curve. Cases are starting to creep up again in what Canada’s top health official dubbed a fourth wave this week.

The federal government is working on a vaccine passport that can be also used in Canada.