Broward County issued the following announcement on Sept. 16.
Vaccines encouraged to protect workers and the public
Broward County Mayor Steve Geller has announced new health incentive plans to encourage government employees to get COVID-19 vaccinations to better protect themselves, the public and their colleagues from contracting the deadly virus.
Beginning October 1st, employees eligible for insurance benefits, will receive $500 if they provide proof that they have been fully vaccinated by November 29th. Employees who prefer not to be vaccinated will pay a bi-weekly insurance surcharge of $20 and will be required to be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis.
“This is part of the County’s Health and Wellness program as we continue efforts to get all County government employees vaccinated to protect themselves and others. Those employees who wish to endanger the lives of the community will incur an insurance surcharge and will be tested every week,” said Mayor Geller. “We are trying to do this using a fair and measured approach.”
There are approximately 6,800 Broward County Government employees providing services to the public. These include bus drivers, library employees, parks and recreation workers, homeless shelter employees, airport and port employees, workers who provide daily assistance to families and individuals in need, the adoption and care for sheltered animals and interactions with the public visiting county government buildings.
“We hope this is sufficient to get all government employees vaccinated. Science has proven without a doubt that if you’re vaccinated you are far less likely to get COVID-19 and far less likely to be hospitalized or die if you do catch the virus,” said Geller. "We also mandate the wearing of masks when in county government public buildings and encourage people to wear masks when social distancing is not possible. Everything that can be done to save lives is our number one priority."
Original source can be found here.
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