Unvaccinated Atlantic County Workers Face Weekly COVID-19 Test

GALLOWAY, NJ — Unvaccinated Atlantic County employees will still have the option of not getting a COVID-19 shot, but will now be required to undergo weekly coronavirus testing under a new policy, county officials announced Wednesday.

The required testing will go into effect next week as officials cited rising numbers in COVID-19-related deaths in Atlantic County over the past two weeks. In that time, county officials said that the death toll has risen by 40 percent.

County Executive Dennis Levinson said Wednesday that the county was averaging about 3,000 deaths per day in December before vaccinations were made available. With 54% of Americans fully vaccinated, county health officials are still seeing 2,000 deaths per day with the majority of hospitalizations and fatalities being found among the unvaccinated.

Officials also hope the required testing will help to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

“The information and guidance we receive is too often inconsistent, confusing and contradictory. It can be difficult to make informed decisions when the information is so often subject to change,” Levinson said in a statement issued Wednesday. “But there is no denying the current surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.”

The objective of the new mandate is to protect county employees, residents and customers that are served by Atlantic County workers, Levinson said. New Jersey health officials said that 99% of new cases across the state are attributed to the highly contagious delta variant. All 21 New Jersey counties are identified as having a high risk of COVID-19 transmission. The less a virus spreads, the less opportunity there is for new variants to emerge, local officials said.

County employees at Meadowview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and the justice facility already provide proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing, Levinson said on Wednesday. The county’s testing policy will cover all full-time, part-time and seasonal employees in all departments and facilities.

Employees who cannot provide proof of a completed COVID-19 vaccination must provide a negative test result each week to report to work. The county is providing free testing for employees at five on-site county locations.

“We are living in extraordinary times, so extraordinary measures must be implemented,” Levinson said. "This virus is deadly serious. So for the near future, we will strictly adhere to this policy.”