To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Human Resources
Staff Name and Phone Number: Christina Cramer 707-565-2331
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
County Employee Policy - COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Review and adopt the recommended policy, COVID 19 Vaccination and Testing Policy, that will implement recent recommendations of the Health Officer to protect the safety of County and Special District/Agency employees by requiring proof of vaccination or weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated employees.
end
Executive Summary:
As recorded in the County’s COVID-19 dashboard: COVID-19 Application - County of Sonoma (arcgis.com) <https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/1edbb41952a8417385652279305e878d/page/page_11/?form=MY01SV&OCID=MY01SV> cases are increasing. Vaccination against COVID-19 has been recognized by health officials as the most effective means of preventing infection from the COVID-19 virus as well as subsequent transmission and outbreaks. The State Public Health Officer and Sonoma County Health Officer have recently issued Orders requiring certain employees in high-risk settings to provide proof of vaccination, and if not vaccinated, to submit to regular COVID-19 testing. State officials and the Sonoma County Health Officer are also strongly encouraging all employers to implement similar measures. The intent of these actions is to reduce transmission of the virus and encourage vaccination.
The County of Sonoma provides essential services to our community and is the largest local employer with over 4,100 allocated full time positions. Ensuring the well-being of County employees and taking measures to prevent transmission of the virus will benefit the community as a whole. Based on the recommendations of health officials and to establish consistent standards for all County employees, Human Resources is requesting the Board approve a new policy that will require proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing for all County employees, with an implementation date of September 7, 2021.
Discussion:
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present significant challenges across the nation. According to Sonoma County’s Public Health Officer, the Delta variant, which is very highly contagious and possibly more virulent, is the cause of the significant increase in new infections. COVID-19 cases are primarily affecting the unvaccinated.
As of August 4, Sonoma County’s new cases per 100,000 residents per day was 36.4 among unvaccinated individuals and 8 among vaccinated residents. Early August data shows that Sonoma County has fully vaccinated 71 percent of residents 12 and older, while another 8 percent have been partially vaccinated.
Both the State Public Health Officer and Sonoma County Public Health Officer have recently issued Orders intended to encourage vaccination and reduce transmission rates. On July 26th, the State’s Public Health Officer issued an Order requiring all employees working in Acute Health Care and Long-Term Care Facilities, High Risk Congregate Settings, and Other Health Care Settings to either provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or be tested at least once a week, with full compliance required by August 23rd. For the County, this Order covers the Adult Detention Facilities, Juvenile Detention Facility, Valley of the Moon Children’s Home, and Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Unit. Also, around July 26th, the State began requiring that all employees of state agencies be subjected to similar requirements.
On August 4th, the County Public Health Officer issued a Health Order requiring all fire, law enforcement, emergency medical service workers, and staff at disaster shelters to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. This new mandate for all fire, law enforcement, EMS, and shelter staff, which will take effect on September 1st, establishes requirements for all first responders, similar to the State’s Order for healthcare and high risk congregate settings. Separate from the order, our Public Health Officer issued a “high recommendation” consistent with those announced by the State, encouraging all employers to implement similar measures.
In response to the issued orders and strong recommendations, Human Resources has developed an employee policy, COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Policy, for the Board’s consideration. This policy expands the requirements for proof of vaccination or weekly testing to employees not covered under the State’s July 26th Order or the County’s August 4th Order, ensuring that measures to protect employees and the community are in place for all County employees. This policy will be effective upon adoption and County staff are working towards full compliance on September 7, 2021.
This policy demonstrates the County’s commitment to leading by example in implementing all recommended measures intended to reduce the COVID-19 transmission rate to protect our community. The State, Federal Government, University of California system, and many other California Counties and school districts have already implemented or announced their intention to implement similar policies.
Implementing the recent health orders and the proposed policy for an organization of the size of the County is a significant operational challenge. Once vaccination verifications forms are distributed and collected from the workforce, Human Resources will know the full scope of needed testing. Human Resources estimates that at least approximately 3,000 employees (64% of the workforce) are vaccinated. Human Resources expects that the verification process under the new health orders and the proposed policy will result in a higher actual percentage of vaccinated employees. Once this data is collected, the number of vaccinated employees can serve as the benchmark.
Plans are underway with the County’s current COVID-19 testing vendor to plan the testing and reporting processes and logistics. Human Resources is working with labor organizations and meeting and conferring on the impacts of the health orders and the proposed policy, and working with departments to set up the procedures. There could be a need to add additional staffing to administer aspects of the health orders or policy. If so, departments or Human Resources will work with the County Administrator’s Office on staffing or budgetary needs.
Given the dynamic nature of this pandemic, Human Resources has drafted the policy to allow the County Administrator to make updates to the policy or determine the policy can be ended after consultation with the Health Officer, Human Resources, and County Counsel. Human Resources will oversee and administer the policy including guiding departments on implementation and compliance and will work with labor organizations as needed.
Prior Board Actions:
None.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 21-22 Adopted |
FY22-23 Projected |
FY 23-24 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
|
|
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Logistics and costs associated with implementing widespread testing are under development. Costs will depend on the number of administered tests. In addition, there may be a need to add additional staffing to administer aspects of the health orders or policy. If so, Human Resources will work with the County Administrator’s Office to develop staffing or budgetary adjustments.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None.
Attachments:
COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Policy
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.