If elected Mayor, Row A candidate Ron Kim would push to implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all city employees. “We have to take these steps to make sure we conquer this pandemic because it’s clearly not good for our economy,” Kim told the Daily Gazette. He said efforts to encourage people hesitant to take the vaccine have not done enough to boost vaccination rates and said he would lead an effort to get the City Council to adopt a requirement for all city employees – from public works employees to city police officers and everyone in between. (Kim said he would be open to specific medical exemptions.)
Numerous large cities across the country, including New York City, have imposed vaccine mandates on their employees, and President Joe Biden last week outlined similar vaccine requirements for federal employees and contractors.
It’s not clear how many city employees are already vaccinated. Mayor Meg Kelly did not respond to a request for comment Monday and neither did the city’s human resources administrator when asked if the city was tracking employee vaccine status.
Photo credit: Erica Miller for the Daily Gazette