Hamilton employers should mandate COVID-19 vaccines, city says, as nightclub outbreak count climbs

The city's medical officer of health, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, is advising Hamilton employers make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory to "protect employees and their customers," the city said Monday.

Such a policy should require employees to provide proof of full vaccination. Unvaccinated employees should need written proof of medical exemption from a healthcare provider and to take a course on the risks involved in being unvaccinated at work, the release from the city said. 

Last week, city council voted in favour of a similar vaccination policy for all its employees, requiring proof of vaccine status by Sept. 15.

The city said employers "play a critical role in encouraging the importance of getting fully vaccinated" and can do so, along with a workplace policy, by sharing vaccination information, offering translated services, providing paid leave for vaccination and transportation options, among other suggestions. It released recommendations for developing a workplace policy and said more resources for implementation would be available soon. 

Cases from Sizzle outbreak still climbing

The workplace recommendations come as cases related to the city's largest COVID-19 outbreak continue to climb.

The outbreak linked to Sizzle Nightclub in Hess Village has now reached 51 cases.

Public health previously said, based on interviews with people who contracted the virus there, that it "appears a number of patrons were not masking, even when not eating/drinking, nor maintaining physical distancing, which likely contributed to transmission."

Representatives for Sizzle did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Posts on the club's Instagram page state that it remains open, urging people to arrive early as capacity is limited.

"Masks mandatory for entry and on dance floor, Covid restrictions in effect!" reads a post made on the weekend.

Public health confirmed in an email to CBC that people are currently allowed to dance at nightclubs in Hamilton.

Masks and physical distancing are mandatory, unless eating or drinking, added spokesperson James Berry.

But despite health officials saying they had reports from Sizzle visitors that those measures were not being followed, Berry said bylaw has not issued any fines.

Public health completed an inspection at the club on Aug. 20 and found "minor items requiring correction, such as no signs posted at the entrance to the workplace about signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and what to do if an individual is feeling unwell," he wrote in an email.

Health officials do have the ability to shut down sites with a section 22 order to "interrupt ongoing transmission," Berry added.

However, he said, to date all cases from the outbreak are connected to "a couple of point-in-time exposures between patrons, and so ongoing transmission at the establishment is not suspected at this time. As a result, an Order has not been issued."

14 active outbreaks

The outbreak at Sizzle is one of 14 that are active in the city as of Monday.

There are 12 cases at Carol Anne's Place, a women's drop-in centre run by the YWCA, and 11 at West Highland Summer Day Camp.

Hamilton reported 201 cases on Monday, a number which includes cases reported over the weekend.

The city has seen 23,080 to date, including 569 that are active, while 93 per cent are resolved.

One more death was reported, bringing that total to 405.

The seven-day average for new cases in Hamilton is 73.