Allegheny County will require all of its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 1, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Wednesday.
Fitzgerald told Marty Griffin on News Radio KDKA it impacts about 6,000 current employees in the executive branch, about 1,200 of whom are not vaccinated.
"We want to speed that up and put a date certain," he said. "Dec. 1 will be that date when people need to be vaccinated or they can no longer work in county government."
Previously, Allegheny County required only new employees to be fully vaccinated, while unvaccinated employees had to undergo testing and wear a mask.
"It's about being safe," Fitzgerald said. "It's not just about yourself being safe, but being safe for your coworkers and the people that we serve."
Medical and religious exemptions will be accepted.
