CALIFORNIA—State officials announced on Monday, July 26, that state employees and healthcare workers will be required to show proof of vaccination for COVID-19 or be regularly tested. The state is encouraging local governments and businesses to adopt similar guidelines.
State employees will be required to submit proof of vaccination by Monday, August 2. State employees who are not vaccinated will be required to get tested for COVID-19 at least once a week.
The new mandate will go into effect for healthcare workers on Monday, August 9, and all healthcare facilities must comply with the mandate by August 23. Healthcare workers who are not vaccinated will be required to get tested at least twice a week.
In a press release Governor Gavin Newsom stated:
“We are now dealing with a pandemic of the unvaccinated, and it’s going to take renewed efforts to protect Californians from the dangerous Delta variant. As the state’s largest employer, we are leading by example and requiring all state and health care workers to show proof of vaccination or be tested regularly, and we are encouraging local governments and businesses to do the same. Vaccines are safe – they protect our family, those who truly can’t get vaccinated, our children, and our economy. Vaccines are the way we end this pandemic.”
California leads the nation in the number of vaccinations administered, but the state is seeing an increase in cases due to the Delta variant. As of last week, California’s statewide case rate more than quadrupled from a low on 1.9 cases/100,000/day in May to at least 9.5 cases/100,000/day.
