Charleston sees widespread compliance as COVID-19 vaccine mandate goes into effect
Nine out of every 10 government employees working for South Carolina’s largest city have been vaccinated against COVID-19, Charleston city officials said on Tuesday.
Charleston began enforcing its COVID vaccine mandate for municipal workers on Monday, and just five employees refused to get vaccinated and were placed on unpaid leave.
If those employees remain unvaccinated and do not request an exemption, they will be fired, city spokesman Jack O’Toole confirmed.
The final non-compliance total was a significant drop from the figures the city reported as recently as Friday, when O’Toole said 12 city employees had not complied with the vaccine mandate.
Seven of those non-compliant workers had full-time jobs, and five were part-time. By Monday, O’Toole confirmed only one full-time employee had refused to comply, along with four part-time workers.
Almost 10% of the city’s 1,709 workers, or about 166 government employees, received medical or religious accommodations.
That puts Charleston at a 99.7% compliance rate, overall.
Mayor John Tecklenburg said in a statement Tuesday that the number reflects a shared commitment to protecting the city and its residents from the coronavirus.
“Keeping our community healthy and safe is a top priority and, as evidenced by employees’ widespread compliance with this policy, it’s clear that they share that goal,” the mayor said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of Charleston and are grateful to be able to do so in a safe, efficient work environment.”
The high vaccination rate among city employees comes as other municipalities in the Charleston area are seeing similar success after they, too, ordered their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing their jobs.
On Friday, Charleston County reported 96% of its employees are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and said 99% of its employees have complied with the county’s Nov. 7 deadline to either be fully vaccinated or submit a medical or religious exemption.
A spokesman for the city of North Charleston said 90% of its government employees were fully vaccinated as of Friday, but there is still time for employees to get vaccinated.
North Charleston extended its compliance deadline until Dec. 3 after it initially selected a Nov. 22 deadline.
This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 1:25 PM.
