Canada announces COVID-19 vaccination mandate for federal employees, most travellers

The Canadian government announced on Wednesday a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for federal employees and travellers aged 12 and older.

All federal employees in the core public administration must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 29, according to an announcement.

Those who are not fully vaccinated or do not disclose their vaccination status by that date will be placed on administrative leave without pay, it added.

The government also said all travellers 12 or older must be fully vaccinated by the end of October to board planes, trains, or marine vessels in Canada.

Some 88 percent of eligible Canadians have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose and about 82 percent of eligible Canadians are fully inoculated, according to senior officials.

As of Wednesday noon, Canada reported 1,007 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the cumulative total to 1,644,481, including 28,068 deaths, data from Canadian media outlets showed.