COVID-19 illustration by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
HYANNIS – A COVID-19 vaccine mandate has been approved by the Barnstable County Commissioners for all county employees.
“As a condition of continued employment, the county will require all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they remain in compliance with the weekly testing protocol,” said Barnstable County Administrator Beth Albert.
Individuals who do not follow the mandate and refuse to get tested weekly will be subject to five days of unpaid leave, with further action possible.
Exemptions were considered, though were not included in the policy as even those exempt would still need to receive weekly testing without proof of vaccination, according to Albert.
Keeping track of exemptions would also tax administrative workload, though any employee can always ask for reasonable accommodation at any time, as per federal law, said county officials.
Commissioner Ronald Bergstrom argued against the testing option, saying that there should be no alternative provided to vaccination.
Commissioner Sheila Lyons said that the ability to get tested weekly instead kept the policy from becoming “too draconian.”
“If they want to go and get a test every week and pay for that test and not get vaccinated and maybe work from home, fine. And maybe wear a mask when they come to work,” said Lyons.
Assistant County Administrator Vaira Harik said that the policy has been designed to maximize protection for the public’s general health.
Between encouraging vaccination and continuing testing efforts, Harik said that the policy go a long way towards protecting the county’s workforce.
Commissioner Mark Forest withheld his support of the mandate, saying that he would prefer to see a policy that was more consistent with state and federal mandates that include exemptions and other details.
“I do think there’s a value in being able to have policies that are uniform. I think this is one of the reasons that we’ve had trouble getting as many people vaccinated or as many people doing the things that are necessary in COVID,” said Forest.
“Because now there’s so much confusion in terms of compliance. In terms of compliance.”
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