Huron County's vaccination policy for employees was announced at Wednesday's council meeting.
C-A-O, Meighan Wark, explains, the county has been monitoring public health information as well as the policies that have introduced in other levels of government and other municipalities to come up with a policy for Huron County. Wark says the result is a policy that will require staff, County Council, Boards, Committees of Council, volunteers and contractors to be double vaccinated and if they are not double vaccinated, then they will be required to participate in an antigen testing program as well as an educational component. Wark says that will allow them to continue to work at the county and take part in county activities and she says it was important to have some flexibility in the policy.
Wark adds, the vaccination policy is just another piece of the puzzle for them in terms of all of the things they've been doing at the county to keep their workers safe and be able to continue serving the public in the way that the public expects us to be able to deliver services. Wark says, in addition to masking and the cleaning practices at the county, as well as continuing to be flexible and able to respond to changing circumstances, the policy is just one more part of dealing with the pandemic.
The motion to approve the policy passed in a recorded 14 to 1 vote. The dissenting vote was cast by Morris-Turnberry Mayor, Jamie Heffer. The policy comes into effect on November 1st.