Protecting the City from Delta: All City Workers Will Be Required To Be Fully Vaccinated Or Double-Masked If Not Fully Vaccinated

August 11, 2021  James Garrow  Board of Health, Department of Public Health 

( City of Philadelphia ) Being vaccinated against COVID-19 results in an eight-fold reduction of risk if you’re fully vaccinated compared to when you are not.

If you’re fully vaccinated, you have a 25-fold reduction of your risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID.

The COVID vaccines protect people very well and are the best way to avoid a severe enough infection that could end up in hospitalization.

Simply put: the COVID vaccines work extremely well and are saving lives every day.

The City has a vested interest in ensuring that all staff are protected as thoroughly as possible from severe COVID infection and death.

That’s why as of September 1, the City will be instituting the following new policies:

• All City employees will be required to provide proof that they’ve completed their schedule of COVID-19 vaccinations,
• New employees hired must be fully vaccinated a a condition of their employment, and
• Employees who are not fully vaccinated by September 1 will be required to wear two masks (a cloth mask over a disposable or surgical mask) at all times while working on-site.

Non-uniform City employees are currently offered four hours of compensatory time once they provide proof of being vaccinated in order to make getting vaccinated as easy as possible.

Employees and anyone else who is interested in getting vaccinated can visit phila.gov/vaccine to find a clinic near them.