PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Many state workers are now required to get the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their jobs come Oct. 18.
Now that Gov. Jay Inslee’s vaccine mandate has been extended to teachers and school staff, this means the top five employers in Pierce County will require almost 80,000 workers to be fully vaccinated by mid-October.
So far, the mandate doesn’t specifically extend to first responders and emergency services. But firefighters will need to be vaccinated because they’re considered health care workers due to their EMT and paramedic training.
Law enforcement officers, on the other hand, don’t get that training, so they still fall outside the purview of the mandate.
Police departments across Pierce County say they typically wait for the city to pass down directives for them to follow, so for now, they’re still strongly encouraging officers to be vaccinated, but it isn't mandatory.
So far, there has been no indication that a vaccine mandate will be put forward on the city or county level. In the meantime, the mask directive that was put forward by the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department is being enforced for all public employees in the county.