Tampa Mayor Mandates That All City Employees Be Vaccinated

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Mayor Jane Castor announced Wednesday that COVID-19 vaccinations are required for all city employees.

Employees, including those who are union members, must be vaccinated by Sept. 30 or show proof of having COVID-19 antibodies. Those who do not wish to be vaccinated must wear a face mask and also submit to a weekly rapid response COVID-19 test.

"This COVID-19 surge is a crisis threatening our community, and the most effective way to halt the spread is with vaccinations. We need to take this step to protect one another and our community, and I am so grateful to the dedicated city of Tampa employees who have worked so hard during this difficult time," Castor said.

Castor said she appreciated the leaders of the city's collective bargaining unions for being receptive and open-minded about the proposal in early discussions and that additional details and options for employees will be finalized.

Since remote working ended in June, all city employees have been required either to wear masks at work or show proof of vaccination and wear buttons or wristbands showing that they are vaccinated.

The unprecedented rise cases in recent weeks prompted the city leaders to examine additional measures to protect the workforce and the public.

"This is mainly about protecting our community and everybody's health, but there is a fairness issue here. Unvaccinated employees are very likely to get COVID-19, and it's their vaccinated colleagues who have to pick up the slack while they are out, hopefully recovering," Castor said.

City of Tampa leaders have consulted numerous health experts over the past year on the best ways to not only protect employees throughout the pandemic, but the community at large.

Health experts remain unanimous:Vaccinations are the key to ending this pandemic.

"This is all part of doing what's right for the residents of Tampa and 4,700 dedicated men and women who work for the residents of Tampa," Castor said.