Essex County Sheriff issues COVID-19 vaccination mandate for all workers, vendors, volunteers

  Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger has issued an order that all sheriff employees, vendors, and volunteers provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination by January 4, 2022. The mandate will follow a similar executive order issued earlier this year by Governor Charlie Baker that requires proof of vaccination for all state employees. As local communities are currently seeing an increase in COVID-19-positive cases due to the Delta variant, the Sheriff’s Department is also experiencing a spike in additional cases.

  “The COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective tool we have to ensure the health and safety of all within our facilities, which is why this Department will be moving ahead with a vaccination mandate,” Coppinger said. “We are a congregate care setting, and as such, we must make sure everyone has the vaccination to protect not only themselves and fellow staff, but to also protect every person that we provide care and custody for.”

  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that “the Delta variant causes more infections and spreads faster than early forms of SAR-CoV-1, the virus that causes COVID-19. The greatest risk of transmission is among unvaccinated people who are much more likely to get infected, and therefore transmit the virus.”

  Each employee will need to provide proof of vaccination prior to January 4, 2022; however, religious and medical exemptions will be considered. Of the Department’s 568 employees, 72 percent have already provided proof of vaccination. The Essex County Sheriff’s Department maintains custody of one of the largest incarcerated populations of any Sheriff’s Department in Massachusetts with an average of about 1,100 incarcerated persons per day.

  “The employees of the Essex County Sheriff’s Department have demonstrated great courage and commitment throughout this pandemic and worked tirelessly to keep our facilities operating each and every day,” Coppinger said. “I thank them for their support as we continue to navigate this pandemic.”