Questions around Sask’s proof-of-vaccine policy: will employees need to be vaccinated Oct. 1?

Proof of vaccination or a negative test will be required for public access to a number of Saskatchewan businesses Oct. 1. But do those rules also apply to the people working there?

Saskatchewan residents are just days away from having to show proof of vaccination to gain entry to some businesses, but many still have questions about how the system is going to work.

A lack of clarification is causing a lot of confusion about who needs to show proof and who doesn’t.

Proof of vaccination, or a negative test, will be required for public access to a number of businesses such as bars, gyms and indoor music venues.

But, do these public health rules apply to the people working there?

“Whether or not the employees are considered to be public access is going to be the big question,” said Steve Seiferling, of Seiferling Law, a labour and employment boutique law firm in Saskatoon.

Seiferling said that for now, it’s confusing whether the public health measures mean staff need to be vaccinated the same as customers.

If the public health orders don’t extend to employees, he said individual employers can legally mandate vaccines for staff.

“It is probably going to be considered a reasonable rule during the pandemic while the public health emergency order is in place, then,” he said.