Boston mayor announces vaccine mandate for city employees

BOSTON — Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey announced on Thursday that she will implement a vaccine mandate for the city’s 18,000 employees.

If workers do not provide vaccine information they will be required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing and will need to provide proof of their negative test results.

The new mandate will be phased in over a two-month period.

“Our purpose is to protect our employees and the public, and our work is rooted in public health guidance and based on data and science,” Janey said in a statement. “I am grateful for the continued collaboration with our municipal unions to ensure the safety of our entire workforce and the residents we serve.”

The updated policy applies to all city of Boston employees, onsite contractors and volunteers who provide services onsite at worksites. It also applies to all full-time, part-time, seasonal, emergency and probationary workers.

Employees can begin to upload their vaccination verification information into the Vaccination Verification online portal starting August 30.

The updated requirement will take effect in phases.

All employees who provide services to high priority residents, including but not limited to Boston Public Schools, the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, Boston Public Libraries, Age Strong, Commission on Disabilities, are required to comply with this policy on or before September 20.

All onsite contractors and volunteers who provide services to high priority residents at the Boston Public Schools, the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, Boston Public Libraries, Age Strong, Commission on Disabilities, and all employees who provide public-facing services to city residents, including but not limited to Public Safety, Parks, Inspectional Services Division, Registry, Parking Clerk, are required to comply with the policy on or before October 4.

All other city employees, onsite contractors and volunteers are required to comply with the policy on or before October 18.

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