COVID-19 Vaccine Or Testing Mandated For All Evanston City Staff

EVANSTON, IL — Unvaccinated people working for the city of Evanston have a month to either get the COVID-19 vaccine or start weekly testing for the virus.

Under the city's new policy, any city employees who are not fully vaccinated will be required to complete a coronavirus PCR test and report the results to the city by Friday afternoon every week.

The policy applies to staff, contractors, volunteers, interns, and part-time and seasonal workers, regardless of whether they work in city buildings or remotely.

“Getting vaccinated is the single most important action we can take to protect ourselves, our families, our coworkers, and our community from COVID-19,” Mayor Daniel Biss said in a statement announcing the policy.

“This mandate will help keep our staff and residents safe," Biss said, "and I am grateful to Interim City Manager Kelley Gandurski and the rest of our team for acting swiftly to put this critical measure in place.”

Director of Health and Human Services Ike Ogbo and Acting HR Division Manager Megan Fulara said in a memo to employees that more than 82 percent of city staff have had at least one dose of the vaccine. Nearly 80 percent are full vaccinated, according to a city spokesperson.

The policy, according to the memo, is authorized under a portion of the Evanston city code that allows the city manager, public health director or their designee "to take such measures and to do, order and cause to be done such acts for the preservation of the public health as he/she may in good faith declare the public safety and health demands."

Workers have until Nov. 15 to be fully vaccinated or receive a vaccination exemption, according to the staff memo.

Exemptions can be granted to anyone who has a personal preference to undergo weekly testing instead of getting vaccinated, a letter from a medical professional saying there is a medical reason they cannot get vaccinated or a religious belief.

Those that have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 10 days may also be granted temporary exemptions.

Employees that do not receive an exemption or get vaccinated could be fired, according to the memo.

"[The Evanston Health and Human Services Department] has the ability to identify staff members who fail to comply after all attempts and efforts have been made to achieve compliance," Ogbo and Fulara said. "Violations of this policy or associated procedures may result in a reprimand, appropriate disciplinary measures and up to and including termination."

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Evanston's new policy is the first municipal vaccine mandate outside Chicago, where officials have clashed with their police union over the issue.

The city and the Fraternal Order of Police have each filed suit against each other over the policy, which was due to take effect Saturday. More than a third of Chicago police officers have not submitted their vaccination status in the city's portal, according to the mayor's office.

Attorneys for the city and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 are due back in court for a hearing Wednesday on a motion by the union asking Cook County Circuit Judge Celia Horan to recuse herself from the case.

Evanston also follows the state of Illinois, whose officials have delayed the deadline for vaccinations while negotiations with unions continue.

On Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a fourth agreement with unions representing state employees working in group living facilities like prisons and veteran's homes, bringing the total number of such workers to 1,990.

According to the governor's office, negotiations are still underway between state officials and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME.

None of the unions representing Evanston city employees have yet signed off on the policy, according to city spokesperson Patrick Deignan.

"The City is working toward agreements with all four employee unions," Deignan told Patch. "Although there are no memorandums of understanding in final form yet, the City is encouraged by the productive meetings held so far and is committed to working with each union to address its members' concerns."