114 get COVID vaccine exemptions
Since Boulder County began a coronavirus vaccine mandate in late September, a total 118 employees have applied for either a medical or religious exemption from the vaccine, and all but four workers have been approved.
Commissioners adopted the COVID-19 vaccine mandate Sept. 28, said County Administrator Jana Petersen. Workers face termination if they are not fully vaccinated or if they have not requested a religious or medical exemption by Dec. 1.
Petersen said Boulder County Public Health, the sheriff’s Office and the district attorney’s office implemented their own COVID-19 vaccine mandates before the mandate passed by the county commissioners.
There are 2,100 employees who are required to comply with this mandate, she said.
Petersen said 94 of the 114 employees approved were granted religious exemptions.
“We had a form for people to fill out that asked people about their beliefs,” she said.
“They were reviewed by the county attorney and (human relations) to make sure we were compliant with the law.”
Before the COVID-19 vaccine, the county offered what it calls medical or religious “accommodations.” Petersen said medical accommodations are commonly requested for temporary ailments. The county receives an average of 45 accommodation requests per year, she said.
“Our most common (reason) is something like an orthopedic surgery,” she said. “Most commonly it’s temporary. It could be someone who was told they cannot drive and driving is required for their job or someone who is pregnant and needed an accommodation.”
For someone to be approved for a medical accommodation, they must provide written documentation signed by a licensed medical provider.
The religious accommodation request form also asks employees whether they have received any other vaccines in the past and why their religion did not prohibit those vaccines if they received them.
Julia Larsen, human resources director for Boulder County, said the four employees who were not approved for accommodations applied for religious reasons. She was unable to say why they were not approved.