Staff in long-term care and community care facilities who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 will be tested up to three times per week.

P.E.I. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison announced Wednesday in a written release that workers who are unable to get the vaccine or choose to be unvaccinated will have the option to be tested every shift, up to three times a week.

The new rules come into effect Friday.

Unvaccinated individuals will be allowed work in these care facilities provided they follow the testing and masking requirements.

"Although the vaccine rate among residents in these facilities is high, there are some in which the staff vaccine rate is too low," Morrison said in the release.

"By adding these new requirements for unvaccinated and partially vaccinated staff, it is another layer of protection in addition to masks, staying home when feeling unwell and good hand hygiene. Our aim is to protect residents of long-term care and community care from the highly infectious and transmissible delta variant."

The testing of unvaccinated staff will be monitored and reported weekly to the Chief Public Health Office.