Massachusetts vaccine mandate for state employees officially takes effect

BOSTON — The deadline for tens of thousands of state workers to prove they’re fully vaccinated has officially passed.

Those who aren’t in compliance now risk losing their jobs.

Governor Charlie Baker signed an executive order back in August mandating that executive branch employees and contractors get the COVID-19 vaccine by October 17th.

The state says those who haven’t been vaccinated will face a disciplinary process before any terminations begin.

Beginning Monday, managers and HR departments will be contacting state workers who haven’t provided proof of vaccination to find out why.

“To date, over 40,000 Executive Department employees have submitted the attestation form or applied for an exemption,” said a statement from Governor Baker’s press office. “Employee exemption requests have been considered on a rolling basis and remaining requests will be reviewed in the coming weeks.”

Some worry that the fallout from the mandate could further worsen staffing shortages being felt across many sectors, including public safety.

The State Police Association of Massachusetts said more than 150 state police employees have either resigned or submitted their paperwork intending to do so.

A spokesperson with Massachusetts State Police told Boston 25 News that the full impact may not be known until all of the exemption requests have been decided.

“We are still going through the hearings. We have a plan in place as to how to deploy personnel if necessary to ensure continuity of police services if resignations make that necessary,” said a statement from MSP spokesperson David Procopio.

Governor Baker’s office is advising all state employees to report to work as usual Monday unless they’ve been notified otherwise.

The state is warning that workers who quit or are terminated over the vaccine mandate likely cannot collect unemployment insurance.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2021 Cox Media Group