A Montreal lawyer is in court Wednesday contesting a COVID-19 health order that prevents unvaccinated people from entering long-term care homes and private seniors' homes to care for residents.
The provincial government issued a decree in December tightening rules in care settings, including imposing an order that requires caregivers to show proof of vaccination before they can enter facilities.
Lawyer Natalia Manole says the government should revert to the previous rule, which required caregivers to present negative results from tests taken within the previous 72 hours.
She says if health care workers who are unvaccinated are able to work under those conditions, she doesn't see why caregivers shouldn't be afforded the same right.
Manole also notes that in certain instances, COVID-19-positive health workers have been permitted to stay on the job.
She says she represents at least 80 caregivers and residents who are seeking an injunction to have the decree immediately suspended and to have a judicial review of the health order at a later date.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Feb. 2, 2022.
