Canada's Justin Trudeau suggests compulsory Covid vaccine for government employees

After New York, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also suggested making coronavirus vaccines compulsory for government employees.

His worries have come at a time when the Canada is bracing itself for a Covid surge due to the Delta variant. "We need to get vaccinated to get through this pandemic, particularly with all the real concerns around the Delta variant we are facing that is striking hardest, obviously, in under-vaccinated and non-vaccinated people," Trudeau said.

Also read | After Germany and Israel, France announces plans for booster shots despite WHO's warning

He also added that the government is focusing on government-regulated workplaces to encourage employees to get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus as soon as possible. If the vaccines are made compulsory, it would lead to nearly 1.3 million government employees getting vaccinated.

Voicing his concern about the danger posed by the Delta variant, Trudeau warned locals that getting vaccinated is “no longer a matter of individual choice”. He stressed that is for the betterment and protection of the "community and our children who haven’t had the opportunity to be vaccinated".

Also read | 'No confusion': CNN fires three employees for coming to work unvaccinated

As of now, nearly 65 per cent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated and almost 80 per cent of the eligible population has received the first dose of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, the province of Quebec has decided to rollout 'vaccine passports' which will bring in the vaccine mandate that suggests that all non-essential public spaces such as gyms, restaurants, clubs etc will be available only to those who have been fully vaccinated.

Trudeau has lent support to this move by the government of Quebec.