One of South Carolina’s largest cities will make employees get the COVID-19 vaccine
The leader of one of South Carolina’s largest cities on Wednesday ordered its government workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, calling the threat of this pandemic “unprecedented in our time.”
North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced the decision in a video posted Wednesday afternoon on the city’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Looking straight to camera, Summey, a known Republican who endorsed President Donald Trump, said, “It is not easy for me to do something like this, but at the end of the day my responsibility is to try to maintain the health and well-being of my employees.”
Summey, 74, said North Charleston must be able to continue to deliver services, like police and fire, in a manner that is safe for the people of South Carolina’s third-largest city.
As mayor, he said it is his responsibility to maintain the health and well-being of his employees, who provide services to the people that North Charleston serves.
“I am not one of the people that like to create controls, but unlike anything that we’ve had before, this is a different time,” Summey said.
The city of North Charleston employs 1,101 people, according to city spokesman Ryan Johnson. The mandate applies to all employees, volunteers and interns, whether they work full-time or part-time.
The mandate is an executive order from the mayor’s office, according to a copy of the policy obtained and reviewed by The State.
But of the vaccine mandate, the mayor stressed in his video, “It’s no different to me than the vaccination that I had to have before I could go to school nearly 65 years ago. It is an opportunity for us to limit the damage.”
In the 3-minute, 27-second video announcing the news, Summey said the decision was made based on current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and other health officials.
“This is something that I feel, at this time, that I have to do,” he said.
He also said the city is in compliance with all applicable workplace laws, but he added the policy may be modified moving forward depending on what the science says.
All employees, volunteers and interns must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 5. Employees, volunteers and interns can also file for a medical or religious exemption.
Those requests for exemptions will be reviewed by the city’s human resources department and must be submitted by Sept. 20, according to the city’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.
The city is also trying to make getting a shot easier. Employees can take advantage of an on-site or employer-sponsored clinic, but they must register by Sept. 9 so that the correct number of doses can be allocated.
The decision to require city of North Charleston employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine comes as South Carolina health officials again find themselves announcing somber statistics about the virus in the Palmetto State.
South Carolina now leads the nation in COVID-19 cases per capita, public health data show.
And on Wednesday, the state recorded one of its deadliest days since the coronavirus pandemic began more than a year and a half ago.
S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 86 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the statewide death toll to 10,684.
It was the highest single-day death total reported since February. To date, more than 740,000 have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Carolina.
Last week, when South Carolina’s health department reported the third-highest daily total since the pandemic began, health officials warned of the soaring cases, saying the state was trending in the wrong direction.
DHEC Director Dr. Ed Simmer said the state must respond to the growing cases by getting vaccinated in greater numbers.
“We have to pay close attention to what these numbers are telling us about the virus’ behavior and understand the risk we’re facing,” Simmer said in a statement on Aug. 25. “Without a corresponding surge in vaccinations to meet this challenge and universal indoor masking in public places, my fear is that more grim milestones are ahead.”
Summey said the recent surge in cases, which has been fueled by the fast-spreading delta variant, created a “compelling interest” for the city to intervene and do what it could to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
“These vaccines provide protection against infection and, even when post-vaccination infection occurs, they provide demonstrated protection from more serious symptoms, including those leading to hospitalization and death,” Summey said.
In an April video message, the mayor tried to quell concerns in his community about the vaccine.
The longtime mayor, who was first elected to the city’s top post in 1994, tried to act as a living testament to the safety of the shot.
“I’ve had no reaction from it whatsoever,” he said in that April 27 video message.
He then pleaded with his citizens: Please, get your vaccination.
“It’s how we get back to some form of normalcy,” Summey said.
This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 3:10 PM.
