The Essential Workers Cross-Border Vaccination Initiative, signed last week between Manitoba, North Dakota, and the federal government, is being expanded, to include teachers and education workers.

The initial agreement announced last week covered Manitoba truckers.

“Program details are being developed as we speak,” said Pallister, as he is expecting those details to be ironed out by early next week.

“I want to thank Governor (Doug) Burgum and his team in North Dakota again sincerely for their efforts to make this available.”

Pallister says the goal is to keep schools open, noting kids learn best in the classroom, but their learning environment needs to be as safe as possible, with the vaccination of teachers and school staff a major part of those safety measures.

After teachers receive their vaccination in North Dakota, Pallister says the “isolation requirements that are normally there for people when they return from the United States will not apply.”

“That’s awfully important for educators who want to get back with their students and don’t have the ability to isolate for two weeks.” he added.

“The way this will go is the person will go to the border, across, get a vaccine, and must come immediately back. They’re not going shopping in Grand Forks, let’s be really clear about that.”

Later on in the news conference, the Premier was asked if it would be better if the vaccines from North Dakota be shipped up to Manitoba, rather than teachers going across the border to get a shot.

“We’re taking the vaccine to teachers and everyone else through a vaccine implementation strategy that’s working well and we’re going to continue to do that. This is an extra feature.” answered Pallister.

“I don’t think most of my friends that are teachers aren’t going to react to this as a hardship. The chance to go and get a vaccine 50 miles away is a chance that a lot of people will want to take, and I think in particular younger teachers, who are going to have to wait longer under the current age-based protocols than their counterparts in the school, I think will appreciate this effort very much.”