PROVIDENCE – A new vaccine requirement or proof of a negative COVID-19 test for employees in the R.I. Office of the General Treasurer is going well, according to a news release.
All of the department’s 82 office staff have complied with the mandate in the first week since it was adopted, the release stated. Nearly all workers, or 94%, have shown proof of vaccination or are planning to become fully vaccinated, while the remaining five people are willing to submit to regular testing.
General Treasurer Seth Magaziner in a statement pointed to the early success of his policy – which goes beyond what Gov. Daniel J. McKee has mandated for state offices outside of health care facilities – as evidence that the rest of the state should follow for state workers and school employees.
“The COVID-19 policies we have adopted at the Treasury have been proven effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19 in our workspaces and our communities,” Magaziner said in a statement. “Times of crisis call for strong leadership. We need our leaders to follow the examples of the federal government and other states and implement these policies for all state and school employees in Rhode Island.”
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.
Big deal. Seth is grasping at straws for headlines.