Boise mayor requires some city employees to get COVID-19 vaccine. Who will it impact?
For the first time, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said the city will require its employees to get vaccinated — but only those not currently working there.
All new hires at the city will soon be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least two weeks prior to their start date, according to a Thursday morning news release issued by the city. This vaccine mandate goes into effect Jan. 3, meaning it applies to all jobs posted after that date.
Fully vaccinated means two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one shot of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
The more than 2,000 current employees at the city, though, will not be required to get vaccinated. The requirement will only impact new employees in all departments and categories, including temporary hires, the release said.
McLean said in a Thursday new conference the decision to mandate that new hires get vaccinated was to protect current employees and ensure city services aren’t interrupted by potential outbreaks.
“We’ve heard loud and clear from our residents that has been important to them that we’ve been able to keep our facilities open,” McLean said.
McLean said the city has no plans to implement a vaccine requirement for all employees. A $100 incentive for employees to get the shot remains in place.
There were more than 160 vacant positions in the city in November, with the Boise Police Department and city libraries having some of the highest numbers of vacancies.
McLean’s Chief of Staff Courtney Washburn, told the City Council on Tuesday that they’ve struggled to fill certain positions in the city, similar to many employers in the private sector.
The new rule is a sharp reversal for the city, after months of McLean’s administration saying it would not pursue vaccine requirements for employees, even as the pandemic ravaged Idaho’s health care system.
City Hall has also had a low rate of vaccination among its employees, around 46% in September. City spokesperson Justin Corr said the city had an estimated 63% of its employees fully vaccinated as of Thursday.
Vaccination rates remain quite low in Idaho when compared to the rest of the U.S. As of Thursday, only 51% of Idahoans ages 5 and older are fully vaccinated, compared to 70% nationwide, according to the Department of Health and Welfare.
City Hall has required that masks be worn inside all city facilities and requires vaccines for large events that go through the city permitting process.
Such cities as Denver and New York City have mandated that all of their employees get fully vaccinated. Some Treasure Valley businesses, such as Micron and Albertsons, have required some or all of their workers to be fully vaccinated.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 10:27 AM.
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