City of Tucson to require all city employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine
Aug 13, 2021, 8:01 PM | Updated: 8:27 pm
FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2020, file photo, Democratic Tucson Mayor Regina Romero is seen at the State of the State address at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
PHOENIX – The City of Tucson voted to require all city employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, per Tucson mayor Regina Romero in an emergency City Council meeting Friday.
Romero references the rise in COVID-19 cases in Tucson due to the Delta variant as a main cause for this new mandate.
“Just today we saw 272 new cases in Pima County,” Romero said. “The percentage of positivity was 7.9%, and the numbers around the state of COVID-19 positive patients and hospitalization is going up.”
.@Cityoftucson will be requiring vaccinations for all persons employed by the city.
My thanks to my colleagues on the Council for approving this action for the protection of our workforce, our community, and our children.
— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) August 14, 2021
Romero references how about one year ago we saw a surge in cases around the country and how the city of Tucson did not have any clear solutions or an antidote.
The mayor talks about her legal duty to keep a safe and healthy environment for all its employees.
“The decision to not get vaccinated does not just affect personal health, it unjustly exposes others to the risk of illness, including coworkers and members of the public,” Romero said.
“This is not about individual liberty, it is about protecting the health and rights of others to not be unnecessarily exposed to COVID-19 through no fault of their own.”
The mandate will require a five-day suspension for city employees who do not comply.
Just three days earlier Pima County voted 4-1 against requiring COVID-19 vaccines for state employees in a Board of Supervisors meeting.
