Chicago to require city employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19

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FILE PHOTO: Nurse Michelle Evers holds the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination shots before people are inoculated at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., February 13, 2021. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski

CHICAGO (Reuters) -All City of Chicago employees and volunteers will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that employees can apply for medical or religious exemptions.

The policy in the third-largest U.S. city comes as numerous other municipalities, school districts and governments across the nation grapple with masking and vaccination requirements as the spread of COVID-19 surges in the South here.

โ€œAs cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, we must take every step necessary and at our disposal to keep everyone in our city safe and healthy,โ€ Lightfoot said.

By the October deadline, the cityโ€™s 31,000 employees will be required to be two weeks past their second dose of a two-dose vaccine or two weeks past a single-dose vaccine.

Employees will be able to apply for a medical or religious exemption, the mayor said.

The cityโ€™s police union said on Tuesday it opposes a vaccine mandate, adding that the city needs to negotiate this policy with unions.

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