City of Regina to create temporary testing site for unvaccinated employees

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The City of Regina is creating its own testing site for unvaccinated employees who must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test as of Friday.

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“We want to be fair and reasonable, give people time to go and get that first shot,” city manager Chris Holden said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

The city will stop paying for testing sometime in mid-November, at which point any employee who isn’t vaccinated as of Oct. 1, will have had time to get both doses and observe the 14-day waiting period before they are considered fully vaccinated. At that time, employees who remain unvaccinated will have to get tested on their own time and dime.

According to Holden, 83 per cent of the city’s active employees are fully vaccinated. There are currently 2,555 active city employees. Administration has conducted 2,133 “individual status meetings” to provide employees with a confidential setting to provide proof of vaccination. Holden says the city intends to complete those meetings by Friday.

Holden also outlined what the city will accept as proof of vaccination from residents at its facilities as of Friday, which is also when the Government of Saskatchewan’s new vaccine certification process for some public places takes effect:

• Wallet cards received at time of immunization;
• A printed copy of your MySaskHealthRecord vaccine certificate (with or without a QR code) or a screenshot of your vaccine certificate (with or without a QR code) saved to your mobile device;
• An earlier version of your MySaskHealthRecord COVID-19 vaccine certificate;
• A COVID-19 vaccine printout from Saskatchewan Health Authority Public Health;
• A QR code/MySaskHealthRecord vaccine certificate uploaded to SK Vax Wallet app.

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Residents who do not have proof of vaccination can instead provide proof of a negative COVID-19 rapid antigen or polymerase chain reaction test result from within the last 72 hours at a provincially approved location. Some exceptions to the public health order are being made.

“As an example, we’re not going to require proof of vaccination on our transit system, we’re not going to require proof of vaccination for someone that simply steps into a city facility to utilize a washroom,” said Holden.

As news from the Saskatchewan Health Authority that doctors may be weeks away from the impossible choice of deciding which patients they save broke Wednesday, Holden said the city will continue taking its lead from the provincial government when it comes to additional restrictions.

“I think they’re getting there,” said Holden when asked why the city is comfortable with deferring to a government being criticized by many for moving too slowly in reintroducing public health measures. “They’re paying attention and I think they’re responding as they feel they need to.”

— with files from the Saskatoon StarPhoenix’s Zak Zescera

jackerman@postmedia.com

Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test requirements at city facilities effective Oct. 1

Arenas (Al Ritchie, Memorial, Balfour, Hamilton, Kinsmen, Mahon, Optimist, Staples, Wickenheiser)

Major recreation centres (Fieldhouse and Lawson Aquatic Centre, North West Leisure Centre, Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre)

Community centres

City Hall

City of Regina Golf Courses

Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test requirements age-based exemptions effective Oct. 1

Leisure swim
Part of the pool swim
Participants in user group training/rentals or events (not ticketed)
Caregivers in parented (parent and baby, swimming lessons, tot and me, etc.) registered programs or where parent is required to participate in child’s class
Participating in drop-in sports at the Fieldhouse

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