The Canadian government will begin requiring all commercial air travelers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
This move goes significantly farther than what the Biden administration has required in the U.S.
Though President Joe Biden stated in July that he would require all federal workers to be vaccinated, he also left an option for unvaccinated workers to get regularly tested if they refuse to get the vaccine.
Additionally, air travelers are not required to be vaccinated in the United States. United Airlines is one of the few airlines requiring shots for its employees.
Though Canada even has a higher vaccination rate than the US (73 percent versus 59 percent), Canadian officials still believe there’s more to be done.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra stated: “Canada’s vaccination rate is among the best in the world, but to protect ourselves and each other from the virus and its variants we must do better.”
