SAN FRANCISCO — The city of San Francisco has drawn a line in the sand and will reportedly act to suspend members of its police, fire and sheriff departments who have refused to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, 17 employees were slated to receive a letter from their respective department leaders outlining the consequences for failing to report that information by the August 12 deadline.
The city is recommending a 10-day unpaid suspension as punishment, although it’s up to individual agency managers to make the decision, which can be appealed, the Chronicle reported.
Moreover, hundreds of employees in other departments could receive similar letters next week, the report said.
“The health and well-being of city employees and the public we serve are top priorities during our emergency response to COVID-19,” the letter said, according to the Chronicle. “Your failure to comply with the vaccination status reporting requirement endangers the health and safety of the city’s workforce and the public we serve.”
The department had already given employees a two-week-long extension during which to do so.
“Fortunately, nearly 100% of employees have reported their vaccination status to the City and nearly 90% are vaccinated,” Department of Human Resources Chief of Policy Mawuli Tugbenyoh wrote in an e-mail to Fox News.
Earlier this month San Francisco’s roughly 35,000 city employees were directed to get the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 15 or face the possibility of termination, Law Officer reported.
In response, the San Francisco Deputy Sheriff’s Association warned that personnel will quit or retire if they are forced to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
“The problem we are faced with now is the strict San Francisco Mandate which is vaccinate or be terminated,” SFDSA wrote in the Aug. 6 Facebook post. “If deputy sheriffs are forced to vaccinate a percentage of them will retire early or seek employment elsewhere.”
It is unclear if personnel have resigned or retired due to the mandates.
