Three sites in the Lower Mainland have been announced as COVID-19 vaccine “fast lanes” for construction workers in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health regions.
The clinics are open for workers to get their first dose of the vaccine and who live or work near the clinic locations: the Ag-Rec Building in Abbotsford, the Christine Sinclair Community Centre in Burnaby and the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver.
The clinics are open from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on June 24, 25 and 30 and July 8 and 9.
No appointments are required. Government ID or a provincial health number is not necessary, but bringing it will speed up the process.
ALSO READ: April is Construction Month in BC
Workers are also encouraged to wear their hard hat or bring their site access card or other construction ID.
Chris Atchison, president of the BC Construction Association (BCCA), said organizers wanted to make it as easy as possible for workers to get vaccinated.
“Our workforce has done a phenomenal job of keeping safe during the pandemic, and after a long day on the job site it can be hard to prioritize getting your vaccine scheduled when you get home,” he said.
The late-in-the-day, end-of-week time slots were chosen to make it easier for workers to head from the site to the clinic before they go home, and so they can rest and relax in case of any temporary side effects.
The locations in the pilot were selected by the Vancouver Regional Construction Association for their proximity to a high density of workers and work sites.
The construction industry is the largest employer in B.C.’s goods sector, with 242,000 workers at its core.
ALSO READ: WorkSafeBC can now shut down businesses due to COVID-19 transmission
