Ontario Liberals call for childcare workers to be vaccinated sooner

The Ontario Liberals are calling on the government to vaccinate childcare workers.

“Today I am calling on Doug Ford to include the more than 30,000 childcare workers who would like the vaccine in the rollout, including those outside of hot zones,” said Ontario Liberal Party leader Steven Del Duca.

“Childcare is essential, and essential workers deserve to be vaccinated as soon as possible.”

On Monday, Premier Doug Ford announced that schools would move to online learning following spring break, saying community spread of COVID-19 is too high to risk having students congregate.

The government had said that school would re-open next week after the spring break.

READ: Ontario schools to move to online learning following the spring break

Childcare centres for non-school aged children will remain open.

Del Duca says he’s concerned it will take too long to get childcare workers vaccinated under the government’s current plan.

“Let’s get our childcare workers fully vaccinated as quickly as possible so that the work they’re doing, which is so essential, can remain in place,” he said.

He says the vaccination rollout should include as many essential workers as possible.

The province says childcare workers are classified as “Group 1 workers who cannot work from home.”

Vaccinations for that group are planned for May.

Childcare workers are classified as “Group 1 workers who cannot work from home” so vaccinations for that group won’t occur until May (unless you’re 50+ and live in a hot spot postal code). Here’s the latest on teachers / special education workers @CHCHNews #HamOnt pic.twitter.com/dpaNWyJvKg

— Nicole Martin (@nicolemartintv) April 13, 2021