El Paso County leaders speak on possibility of vaccine mandate
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- In El Paso County, COVID-19 case numbers have surged in recent weeks thanks in large part to the more contagious Delta variant. Meanwhile, the county has had one of the lowest vaccination rates for months.
One Colorado Springs elected official says the time to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations is now.
“If we want to stabilize the situation, mandatory masks, mandatory vaccines until we have this thing under control,” Colorado Springs City Council Member Bill Murray.
To get more people vaccinated for the deadly virus, Denver's Mayor Michael Hancock issued a public health order on Monday. The order mandates that all city employees and workers in high-risk settings - hospitals, schools, or long-term care facilities - get vaccinated before September 30th.
“There are consequences for not following an order," said Mayor Michael Hancock at a press conference on Monday. "This would not be an order if we didn’t have the consequences to follow through with them and there might be some folks who may lose their jobs over this. We recognize that.”
As of this week, Denver County's COVID-19 incidence rate is lower than El Paso County's.
Murray supports following Denver's lead by declaring a corporate vaccination mandate for Colorado Springs.
“Lets be honest, mandates are not really enforceable, but what you can do with these mandates is assist everyone else to follow the correct path to get these things under control,” said Murray.
However, in a joint statement provided to KRDO, the City of Colorado Springs, El Paso County County, and El Paso County Public Health say they 'do not plan to initiate public health orders or local mandates' at this time.
However, we will continue to work with hospital leadership to monitor the level of burden on health care," the joint statement continued. "If an employer or business chooses to mandate COVID-specific precautions to include vaccinations, Public Health supports them, as we have done so throughout the past 15 months with education and technical assistance.
Mayor John Suthers declined an on-camera interview, however, he did provide a statement when asked about the possibility of a Public Health Order requiring individuals to get vaccinated.
The City of Colorado Springs will continue to monitor all information available concerning the spread of COVID-19 and to discuss options with state and county health department officials. As we have from the beginning of the pandemic, we will pay close attention to the level of burden on our health care system. Our goal will be to balance the safety and liberty interests of our employees in determining the best course of action. We strongly encourage all eligible members of our community, including all City employees to get vaccinated. It is clearly the greatest protection against infection by COVID-19 and its variants. The vaccines are free and widely available in El Paso County, with many convenient locations, hours, and options.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers.
In addition to his statement, Suthers provided a link to the El Paso County Public Health website.
Murray says the time for monitoring the situation has passed.
“We will continue to monitor a fire that’s out of control? No, let's fight the fire that’s out of control,” said Murray.
