The City of Regina are changing their stance on employees getting their vaccination.

While they are continuing to encourage the employees to get the vaccination, they will not make it a requirement.

City Manager Chris Holden says so far 83% of City employees are double vaccinated.

Holden says the remaining 17% will enter a testing pool. “Those employees will have to provide a weekly test, obviously that they are not positive. That’s a process that we’re putting in place, so those employees are entering and they will be tested on a weekly basis.”

The testing will initially be funded by the City of Regina Holden says, “We’re still encouraging that we want our employees to be vaccinated. As of October 1st, if someone isn’t vaccinated then of obviously we’re encouraging them to be vaccinated. We will put in a time frame at which we will stop paying for those tests.”

Holden noted that by providing the funding for testing they will be giving those employees a grace period to get their vaccine doses before they will have to pay for their own weekly proof of negative testing. “We want to be fairly reasonable and give people time to go and get that first shot. We all know 28 days later they are eligible are a second shot and then it’s 14 days to be qualified or certified to be fully vaccinated. At that point, probably somewhere in mid November, the City will no longer provide those tests for employees and employees will have to bear that cost.”

Members of the Regina Fire Department and local paramedics will be administrating the proof of negative testing for city employees.