Alexandria prepping COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city employees

A vaccine mandate for Alexandria government employees will be ready for implementation by this fall, according to Mayor Justin Wilson.

“The policy is being finalized in place right now and should be in place in the September/October timeframe,” Wilson told ALXnow. “This will likely not come before Council as this is in the City Manager’s purview. Although he is of course keeping us up to date.”

The city recently notified employees that it is prepping the vaccine requirement, as VDH says unvaccinated Virginians are making up a vast majority of new cases. Alexandria City Public Schools will also determine this week if it will require vaccinations from staff.

Alexandria is experiencing “substantial” coronavirus transmission, according to the Virginia Department of Health. This month, the city has experienced a 55% jump in COVID cases over July, with 317 new cases reported. There were 204 new cases reported in July, which was a 343% increase over the 43 new cases in June.

There are now 12,450 reported cases in Alexandria since the first case was reported in March 2020. Deaths have remained at 141 since last month. On August 12, there were 33 new cases reported — the most in more than three months.

This month, Richmond became the first city in Virginia to require its employees get vaccinated.  In July, Fairfax County passed a measure requiring all county staff to get vaccinated. Next door in Washington, D.C., government employees are required to get vaccinated by August 19.

Alexandria has a goal of fully vaccinating 110,000 residents, which is 80% of the population — a goal that the city says it has already reached.

So far, 83,769 residents have been fully vaccinated, and 97,270 residents have been partially vaccinated. Just over 62% of residents over the age of 18 have been vaccinated, and so have 77% of seniors.

Find vaccine providers in Alexandria here. If you feel sick, get tested.