Ramsey County Moves On To Require Employees To Prove Vaccination Or Virus Free – Twin Cities

Ramsey County is moving forward with a COVID-19 policy that requires its more than 4,000 full- and part-time employees to prove they have been vaccinated or otherwise be tested weekly to prove they are not infected with the virus.

The provincial board of commissioners unanimously approved a resolution on Tuesday that directs the county manager to spend up to $1 million from federal coronavirus-related response funds for a financial incentive for employees and the administration and control of vaccination and testing protocols that are not covered. under existing policies and practices. The resolution includes a condition that the province must notify employees 30 days in advance of the implementation, a date yet to be determined.

The policy also doesn’t yet go into some important details, such as how it would apply to volunteers and contract workers and the consequences for employees who refuse to comply. The incentive for county employees who provide proof of vaccination status should also be eliminated, although it will most likely be direct payment or gift card as opposed to time off or other benefit adjustments, county spokesman John Siqveland said Tuesday.

Whether testing of workers on site and during their normal working hours will also be finalized, he said.

The county government’s move comes as the state and some private employers plan to roll out their own COVID testing mandates to employees amid the recent spate of infections caused by the more contagious delta variant. Last week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced that his order will cover most of the states’ 37,500 workers, with a September 8 deadline for affected workers.

HEMP PIN COUNTY ACCEPT REQUIRE:

Hennepin County also joins Ramsey County with the required employees. On Tuesday, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners passed a requirement for employees, contractors and volunteers to confirm their COVID-19 vaccination status and show proof of vaccination by Oct. 1 or to meet regular, mandatory COVID-19 testing. . Commissioners in Dakota and Washington counties have not formally discussed introducing an employee policy.

Ramsey County employees who have worked on the policy in recent weeks include members of several departments, including human resources, public health, risk and compliance, and the law firm. They have told commissioners that drafting the policy has been a “balancing act,” weighing the safety and well-being of the county’s employees, along with their privacy, against legal, union and financial considerations, among others.

A pair of commissioners, along with County Manager Ryan O’Connor, acknowledged they’ve heard from a number of employees over the past week “who have strong questions or concerns, feelings” about the policy. The staff has also been in talks with employee labor partners regarding some of the early questions about the implementation, he said.

WHAT EMPLOYEES ASK?

O’Connor said one of the most frequently asked questions they’ve heard from employees is, why does the county only test those who haven’t been vaccinated, when vaccinated individuals can also be carriers of COVID? He said the county follows the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about who is recommended for regular testing.

“And then there are some individuals who believe that the freedom of choice or about a vaccine is ultimately theirs and theirs alone and that’s a more philosophical question than one I can answer perfectly on a FAQ,” he told the commissioners.

To the extent and when an employee tests positive for the virus, the county will rely on existing procedures, such as staying home when sick.

Ramsey County is now in a high state of coronavirus transmission, along with the rest of the seven-county metro area and most of the state.

Meanwhile, Ramsey County’s $100 vaccination incentive in gift cards for those fully vaccinated at a clinic operated by St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health was launched Friday and resulted in more than double the turnout at the Oxford Community Center in St. Paul on Saturday, the province said. The site, which has typically vaccinated fewer than 40 people a week, saw 89 people come in for the injection on Saturday.