PROVIDENCE – Mayor Jorge O. Elorza is dropping his previous ultimatum that city workers must get vaccinated against COVID-19 or else lose their jobs.
Elorza on Monday announced a new policy allowing city workers to submit two negative COVID-19 tests per week in lieu of getting the shots. The policy marks a change from Elorza’s prior mandate that city workers must receive the COVID-19 vaccine or else risk being “separated from employment.” Since announcing the vaccine requirement in December, Elorza has already relaxed the original deadlines and penalties several times, with the most recent update giving workers until March 1 to comply or else be suspended without pay.
The vaccine mandate has also drawn criticism from Council President John J. Igliozzi, who called an emergency meeting, though no action was taken, fearing the safety consequences of the 80 [at the time] Providence Police Department officers slated to lose their jobs because they had not been vaccinated.
As of Monday, 5% of city workers had not been fully vaccinated, according to Theresa Agonia, the mayor’s spokesperson.
How many of those were Providence police officers was not provided.
Elorza in offering a testing alternative to the vaccine mandate cited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest guidelines, which based on Providence County’s “low” transmission rate do not require vaccines or indoor mask-wearing. The city will also drop its face mask requirement inside municipal buildings, effective immediately.
If the county again rises to what CDC classifies as “high” transmission level, the city may change its policies by requiring masks, expanding testing requirements or even barring unvaccinated employees from working for a period of time, the release stated.
“We have made incredible strides in getting our workforce vaccinated, and I’m appreciative of all city employees who stepped up to protect themselves, their coworkers and our community,” Elorza said in a statement. “We are headed in the right direction—with COVID-19 cases, hospital and ICU patient admissions continuing to decline, and vaccination rates continuing to rise here in Providence. While cases have declined and we are updating our policy, I recognize that COVID-19 is ever-evolving and will not hesitate to make further updates as needed.”
Nancy Lavin is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.
