Untested Mecklenburg Co. Workers Could Face Termination: Report

CHARLOTTE, NC — Unvaccinated Mecklenburg County employees who fail to produce results of a negative coronavirus test for two straight weeks will face termination, workers were told during a town hall meeting on Thursday, according to a published report.

While county employees are not required to be vaccinated, they are being required to prove that they have not tested positive for COVID-19 each week according to a new requirement. But in a meeting with county human resources officials on Thursday, employees were told there will be consequences if they do not comply with testing requirements, WSOC-TV reported.

Human Resources Director Paula Herman told employees during an hour-long meeting that they face unpaid suspensions if they do not report the results of a COVID-19 test each week. If they fail to do so over two straight weeks, they risk being fired, the television station reported. Also, if employees are suspended four times, they will also be fired, Herman said during the meeting, according to the report.

The report also said the county is not considering offering employees any financial incentives to get vaccinated as is the case for employees of the City of Charlotte. The city is offering workers $250 to become vaccinated by Sept. 30 and employees will get another $250 if 75 percent of the city’s workforce is vaccinated by then.

Mecklenburg County officials started suspending workers this week for not complying with orders to produce the negative COVID-19 test. The Charlotte Observer reported this week that more than 500 employees have been suspended this week and of that number, nearly half are full-time employees.