HARRISBURG – For some Pennsylvania state employees, ‘vaccine or test,’ is the latest mandate from Governor Tom Wolf. In a news conference Tuesday, the governor announced state employees in state health care facilities and high-risk congregate care facilities will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 7. Wolf said, “We will be giving employees the choice – either get a vaccine, or you’re going to have to be tested.”
This initiative will affect approximately 25,000 employees working in 24-hour-operated state facilities including state hospitals, state homes for people with intellectual disabilities, veterans homes, community health centers, and state correction institutions. Additionally, beginning September 7, all new external hires in these facilities must be vaccinated before starting employment.
Governor Wolf also announced a vaccine incentive for state employees under the governor’s jurisdiction. Starting October 1, 2021, all vaccinated state employees under the governor’s jurisdiction are eligible for an additional 7.5 or 8 hours of paid time off: “We’ll give you a day off – that’s pretty good – you get a day off if you get the vaccine. We’ll ask you to attest that you’ve gotten it. We want to reward those who have already gotten the vaccine and encourage those who have not yet decided to get the vaccine to go ahead and get it. We just need to this to get people to do the right thing.”
The Wolf Administration is actively working with state employee unions on implementation of these policies. Currently, more than 63% of Pennsylvanians 18 and older are fully vaccinated, with the state ranking fifth among all 50 states for total doses administered.
