Denver Requiring City Employees to Get Vaccinated for the Coronavirus

Denver, Colorado, is the latest city to require city employees to get vaccinated for the Chinese coronavirus, Mayor Michael B. Hancock, a Democrat, announced on Monday.

The order applies “to the city’s municipal workforce of more than 10,000 employees, including police officers, firefighters, and sheriff’s deputies,” according to the press release. Workers in nursing homes, homeless shelters, hospitals, correctional facilities, and schools are also subject to the mandate. This comes despite the fact that the Mile High City has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country.

Employees must have their final vaccine by September 14.

“The City will work closely with employers to provide guidance on enforcement and accountability of this mandate,” the press release adds:

With this announcement, Denver joins the State of Colorado, the federal government, and a growing number of other government and private sector employers across the country in requiring employees to show proof of vaccination. Some other examples include New York City, the State of California, the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 600 colleges and universities across the country, and major private sector employers like Google and Facebook.

“Denver is now experiencing the most infectious strain of the virus – the Delta variant, which is responsible for 90% of new cases statewide,” the Democrat mayor said in a statement.

“To achieve the highest level of protection and recovery from the pandemic, especially among high-risk and vulnerable groups, we need to maximize vaccinations as quickly as possible, and mandates will do just that,” he added.

Bob McDonald, Executive Director of the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE), lauded the vaccine mandate.

“Given what we know today, I strongly believe that controlling the spread of the virus and its variants through timely and thoughtful mandated vaccinations, especially as we enter the colder fall and winter months, is necessary,” he said.

“By further increasing the number of vaccinated residents, we’re able to protect children and those who can’t get vaccinated, limit hospitalizations and ultimately save lives,” McDonald added.

Denver’s mandate falls in line with President Biden’s latest action, demanding millions of federal workers get vaccinated or be subject to continuous masking and government testing procedures.