Restaurant workers to be vaccinated as part of Phase 2, government officials say
Province-wide restaurant workers will get the COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 2, government officials confirm to 680 NEWS.
On March 5, Ontario officials released a list of eligible people for the COVID-19 vaccine during this phase.
This stage will see shots administered based on risk factors including age, neighbourhood, existing health conditions, and inability to work from home.
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NEW – Restaurant workers will get the COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 2, government officials confirm to 680NEWS.
— Richard Southern (@RichardCityNews) March 22, 2021
The province is planning on vaccinating nine million people in Phase 2 and the updated plan does not include the recently approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The province has split up workers into different categories including the following:
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Those who live and work in congregate settings
All at-risk staff, essential caregivers, and residents from the following congregate settings will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine:
- Supportive housing
- Developmental services/intervenor and supported independent living (SIL)
- Emergency homeless shelters
- Other homeless populations not in shelters
- Mental health and addictions congregate settings
- Homes for special care Violence Against Women (VAW) shelters and Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) residents
- Children’s residential facilities
- Youth justice facilities
- Indigenous healing and wellness
- Provincial and demonstration schools
- Farmworkers who live in congregate settings, including Temporary foreign workers, Bail beds and Indigenous bail beds
- Adult correctional facilities
Essential workers/those who can’t work from home
Workers who can’t work from home will be vaccinated in two groups encompassing a variety of sectors. These include elementary and secondary school staff – as well as bus drivers – food manufacturing workers, childcare workers, and high-risk and critical retail workers such as grocery and pharmacy.
The second group will be eligible once the first group has been vaccinated.
First group of essential workers (730,000 people):
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- Elementary/secondary school staff and bus drivers that transport students
- Workers responding to critical events (e.g., police, fire, compliance, funeral, special constables)
- Child care workers
- Licensed foster care workers
- Food manufacturing workers
- Agriculture and farm workers
Remaining workers to be eligible (1.4 million people)
- High-risk and critical retail workers (grocery and pharmacies)
- Remaining manufacturing workers
- Social workers (including youth justice)
- Courts and justice system workers (including probation and parole)
- Lower-risk retail workers (wholesalers, general goods)
- Transportation, warehousing, and distribution
- Energy, telecom (data and voice), water and wastewater management
- Financial services
- Waste management
- Mining, oil, and gas workers
After Phase 2 is completed, everyone between the ages of 16 and 59 will be eligible for their first dose.
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As part of Phase 2 of the rollout, the province will see vaccine shipments ramp up throughout March, with the most significant coming from Moderna.
Though non-committal on the matter, Retired Gen. Rick Hillier said mass-vaccinations could begin on June 20, depending entirely on vaccine supply in the coming months.
“Our aim is to allow the province of Ontario to have a first needle in the arm of every eligible person who wants it by the first day of summer,” he said. “That’s the challenge goal I put out there.”
Phase 2 is expected to formally begin in April.
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The province also says that certain hotspots will receive additional vaccine supplies, such as Toronto, Peel, Durham, Halton, Hamilton, and York.
