Mayor: Vaccine policy ‘close’ for city employees

NEW HAVEN — Mayor Justin Elicker said the city was “getting close” to announcing a vaccination plan for municipal employees, but labor talks and logistical issues still need to be worked out before a firm timetable can be established.

“Like many things, it’s complicated and we want to make sure we get it right,” said Elicker.

Under the city’s plan, employees not already covered by Gov. Ned Lamont’s recently announced vaccination policy for educators would have to submit proof they had received the vaccine or comply with regular testing, Elicker said.

“It’s easy on the outside to criticize things without knowing the complexity of implementation. We have been working for some time to make sure we get this right.”

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker

There are about 6,000 municipal employees, Elicker said. Twothirds of them work for the New Haven Public Schools, and already are covered by the state’s order, he said, while the city’s plan would cover the other third.

Among other details, the city needs to plan for the cost of testing, prepare for privacy concerns and devise a strategy to allow employees the time to be tested, if they so choose, without dipping under minimum staffing requirements in some departments, Elicker said.

Elicker said staffers are meeting regularly on the issue.

He declined to set a timetable for the policy, but said the city was “getting close to an announcement.”

“It’s easy on the outside to criticize things without knowing the complexity of implementation,” said Elicker. “We have been working for some time to make sure we get this right.”

Requirements that patrons prove they have been vaccinated or had a recent negative test have popped up at some local businesses, including BAR, the Shubert Theatre, Toad’s Place, the College Street Music Hall and the Space Ballroom in Hamden.

Earlier this month, Elicker issued an order requiring people to wear masks inside public places, regardless of vaccination status.

Approximately 57 percent of

New Haven residents have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the state Department of Public Health.

The city’s rate of COVID-19 infections for the period from

Aug. 1 to Aug. 14 was 19.7 per 100,000, state Department of Public Health data shows.

During that period, New Haven had 186 cases the first week and 174 cases the second week, the data shows.

New Haven is listed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a high transmission area for COVID-19 and last week the CDCD reported that Fairfield County is now also considered a “high transmission” area for the virus.

Norwalk city and Norwalk Public Schools announced last week the requirement that all employees must be fully vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.

Greenwich First Selectman

Fred Camillo also mandated a universal mask policy inside buildings in town and is requiring municipal employees to get vaccinated against the virus or undergo weekly testing.

Also this month, Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim said all unvaccinated municipal employees now will be required to undergo regular testing. He estimated at the time that that more than 90 percent of Middletown city employees were vaccinated.

Florsheim said said employees can confidentially notify their supervisor or the human resources department of their vaccination status.

Multiple COVID vaccines and testing sites are available in New Haven and Hamden.