Due to a new health order, Marin County first responders must be fully vaccinated and boosted to work in "high-risk settings," starting mid April.
The health order will take effect on Feb. 10, county officials announced in a press release Wednesday. First responders without a medical or religious exemption will no longer be able to test out of vaccination requirements.
Employees impacted by the public health order include police officers, sheriff's deputies, probation officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel and those providing prehospital medical care.
Unvaccinated first responders will be required to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by March 1 and complete the second dose by April 15. All will need to receive a booster within 15 days of becoming eligible for the shot.
Starting April 15, unvaccinated or unboosted first responders will be prohibited from entering higher-risk settings or interacting with the public unless they have a qualifying exemption, the health order stated.
The changes come after recent COVID-19 outbreaks were traced back to unvaccinated first responders, according to Marin County Public Health records.
One coronavirus case was reported at the Marin County Jail, nine at nursing homes, nine at residential care facilities for the elderly and 19 at other group living facilities.
"These outbreaks have been amplified by contact with unboosted staff, an inadequate testing cadence, and a highly contagious variant," Dr. Lisa Santora, the County's Deputy Public Health Officer, said in the release. "It is critical to protect our public safety and health care systems from the Omicron variant as well as future waves of COVID-19 activity."
High-risk settings are defined as those where first responders interact with vulnerable individuals who are at increased risk of severe illness and death.
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