Allegheny County to require covid-19 vaccination for all new hires

Allegheny County will make covid-19 vaccination a requirement for new hires going forward, county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Thursday.

“We are not going to hire anybody going forward that does not have a vaccine card,” he said, noting the county hires anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people each year.

Current county employees who remain unvaccinated will be required to wear masks during work and be tested for covid-19 at least once a week, Fitzgerald said.

The new policies take effect Monday. They apply to executive branch employees, including contracted employees.

“We have over 6,000 employees who serve the public – who come into contact with the public on a daily basis in many ways,” Fitzgerald said. “We want to make sure that those who come in contact, who we are serving, feel safe.”

On the other hand, he said, county employees should feel safe working among their co-workers.

He said the county had offered a $100 incentive to employees who received the vaccine and showed proof of vaccination. About two-thirds of county employees received the vaccine.

“Unfortunately, about a third of our county employees have not,” he said.

In addition to the mask requirement – which includes when an unvaccinated employee is in a county vehicle with another employee and outdoors when social distancing isn’t an option – they will be subject to testing “constantly,” Fitzgerald said.

“At least once a week and, in many cases, twice a week,” he said.

Unvaccinated visitors to the Allegheny County Courthouse will be required to wear a mask.

“We’re going to use the honor system at this point,” Fitzgerald said. “We hope that most people will respect that who come into the courthouse.”