Porter Airlines mandating COVID-19 testing, vaccination for all workers

Porter Airlines will be requiring its team members to take more COVID-19 safety precautions when it restarts operations starting Sept. 8.

From then, employees must be fully vaccinated or present a negative COVID-19 test administered within 72 hours of the start of their shift.

“We have a responsibility to ensure a safe workplace. With vaccines readily available for everyone in Canada and the U.S., and their proven effectiveness, requiring vaccination or regular testing is a critical measure to protect the health of our team members,” said Michael Deluce, president and CEO, Porter Airlines. “We are providing a testing option to ensure that personal circumstances are accommodated.”

The employer claims to be the first Canadian airline to mandate COVID-19 testing or vaccination for all team members.

The announcement follows Ottawa’s new rules requiring many public service workers in the federally regulated air, rail and marine transportation sectors to get their jabs by the end of September.

Porter also supports the government's plan to require full vaccination for all air travellers, it said.

Recently, the federal government partnered with local pharmacies to provide rapid antigen test kits to small and medium-size employers in different parts of the country.

COS previously wrote about what employers can do to keep their employees safe from COVID-19 while at work.

In March, Ontario released a resource to improve awareness of Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) for Ontario workers.