A new edict was announced Wednesday by Shelby County Government to begin requiring, “in alignment with federal partners,” regular asymptomatic testing for unvaccinated Shelby County employees whose occupations place them at a higher risk of transmitting COVID-19. The regular testing program will begin with employees of the Shelby County Health Department and will expand to other county employees in the coming weeks.
The program will begin on Sept. 6, so as to allow unvaccinated workers more than three weeks to initiate vaccination and avoid the testing requirement.
Beginning the week of Sept. 6, according to the press release announcing the new policy, “unvaccinated employees will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test at least once every seven (7) days in order to identify asymptomatic COVID-19 infections and protect others from the contagious disease. The Shelby County Health Department will offer free regular testing for any Shelby County Government employee who requires or desires a test.”
Further, from the press release: “For months, Shelby County Government has led an internal campaign to provide information about the vaccine and encourage vaccinations among employees, including required trainings about the vaccine and common myths associated with it.
“When Shelby County Government surveyed Health Department employees regarding the federal model approach, 82% said they support mandatory testing of unvaccinated employees. Around 80% reported that they had already begun the vaccination process, and more than 70% of Health Department employees have received two vaccines.
“Survey results found that nearly 77% support the testing of all county employees who have not been vaccinated and that 77% also said there should be no exemptions given for regular COVID testing.
“Additionally, Shelby County Government has offered on-site vaccinations for employees, cash incentives, and paid time off for employees to get the vaccine. Shelby County employees currently have the opportunity to take up to four hours off with pay for each dose of the coronavirus vaccine.”
Mayor Lee Harris commented: “Since the arrival of the vaccine, we have done what we can to educate employees, incentivize vaccination, and even provide paid time off to go get the shot. This latest program will give employees a choice to either submit to weekly testing or to roll up their sleeve and receive the vaccine. Vaccination is key to lowering transmission levels, reducing hospitalizations, and getting our community out of this pandemic.”
Dr. Michelle Taylor, the director of the health department, said, “We strongly encourage other employers, large and small, to require COVID-19 vaccinations or to adopt the approach of testing all unvaccinated employees. Regular asymptomatic testing will also allow us to better surveil spread among unvaccinated employees and reduce potential outbreaks. We have followed our federal partners’ lead and hope to see other employers of all sizes do the same.”
The new policy follows a meeting of the Shelby County Commission this week that grappled inconclusively with the COVID issue. It was an odd affair, underlaid by an obvious tension and a good deal of déjà vu relating to the issue of masks as the Delta variant continues with its stealthy revival of the COVID-19 menace.
The meeting began with a parade of parents taking issue with the requirement, announced Friday by Shelby County Schools, of masks for students, and continued with inconclusive deliberations on the commission about requiring and/or facilitating masks.
Resolutions to that effect — including one that would expend $2 million on a purchase of locally produced masks — were sent back to committee for further study.
