By Beacon Staff
The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors approved a mask policy for unvaccinated county employees Tuesday morning (Dec. 4) during their regular meeting.
The policy will go into effect Monday (Jan. 10) if the Supreme Court upholds the federal vaccine mandate Friday, and will be required of employers who have more than 100 employees. The county employs over 200 people.
Supervisors Jim Cary and Tom Broeker said they don’t agree with the mandate, but pointed out the county has no choice but to go along with federal law. Resisting could result in a loss of federal funding, Cary said. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in challenges to two federal vaccine requirements Friday.
Cary and Broeker voted for the mandate, while fellow DMC Supervisor Shane McCampbell voted against it.
The policy calls for employees who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear a mask while working indoors. Those who work outside or alone are not required to wear a mask. Those who don’t comply will be given warnings, a suspension, and will eventually be terminated for non-compliance.
On Feb. 9, the testing portion of the policy will go into effect, requiring employees who have not been vaccinated to be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis.
The requirement would cover two-thirds of the nation’s private workforce. Large businesses that refuse to comply with the mandate face penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation.
The Supreme Court will also hear arguments Friday in a challenge to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers who are employed at facilities that accept federal funding, such as through Medicare. The Biden administration has estimated that this separate requirement will affect roughly 10 million workers.