Langley City Council has voted to implement a new vaccination policy that requires all city employees to be either vaccinated or be tested weekly and wear a mask at all times.
Councilmember Dominique Emerson put forth the idea saying “there is a need for the public to be safe when interacting with city staff.”
There was some disagreement about whether or not a vaccination mandate fell under the purview of the Council or if it was something the Mayor should be responsible for implementing.
What they said:
Councilmember Peter Morton suggested reinstating the Mayor’s emergency powers so he could establish the mandate. “I think that Langely really set the stage and led the defensive activity about COVID when it first came out.”
Councilmember Thomas Gill disagreed
Councilmember Kristy Korrow pointed out that there are other cities with mandatory vaccination policies. “A lot of city governments are adopting these policies. I think it’s becoming more and more common.”
Mayor Scott Chaplin commented that the issue is a “gray area” and suggested exemptions could be made.
Councilmember Dominique Emerson, responding to a comment by city finance director Monica Felici, said “I know for a fact someone wasn’t vaccinated who was an employee. She added that a record of COVID-19 vaccination should be part of each employee’s personnel file. “I think it’s really important for the public to know.”
Councilmember Craig Cyr agreed. “We’re approaching 800,000 citizens in this country having died. A Langley citizen was surprised, came up to me and inferred that there were people not vaccinated.”
In a 3-1 vote, the policy was established. Morton voted nay and Gill abstained. For the details, see the story by Kira Erickson.
