Metro will soon implement mandatory COVID-19 testing for all unvaccinated employees.
Starting Sept. 7., all Metro employees will either have to show proof of vaccination, a negative COVID-19 test result that is no more than a week old or a request for medical or religious accommodation in Metro's online employee portal, Metro General Manager said in a memo to employees.
Out of the more than 10,000 employees in Metro's workforce, 45% are fully vaccinated, Wiedefeld said.
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"…we need to do better to protect out workforce and our customers from Covid infection, especially given the prevalence of the Delta variant in our region," Wiedefeld says in the email.
Unvaccinated employees will be responsible for scheduling their weekly tests and for any costs of the tests, according to Wiedefeld.
Metro said it will help employees upload their vaccination cards to the portal beginning Monday, Aug. 30.
Wiedefeld said employees who fail to comply with the new mandate will be ineligible to work and progressively disciplined.