A CN rail worker stands on an idle locomotive in Burnaby, B.C., on Nov. 27, 2020.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Canadian National Railway Co said on Wednesday that all its employees in Canada must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 1.
In the face of a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, spurred by the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant, many companies have come out with mask mandates and changed their vaccination policies.
The company’s vaccination policy will apply to all employees and new hires in Canada and its units. It will also apply to CN’s contractors, consultants, agents and suppliers and anyone who accesses the company’s Canadian properties.
Requests for medical or religious exemptions will be considered by CN on an individual basis, it said.
Around 74 per cent of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated, but a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic is currently building, mostly among the unvaccinated.
Last month, Canada’s five biggest banks mandated that employees working from their offices must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 this fall, taking a firmer stance than some of their U.S. counterparts and some other Canadian companies.
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