Manhattan Beach city employees will have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year, following a city council vote conducted Tuesday evening.
Under the new ordinance, all city workers must show proof of vaccination or claim an exemption by the start of December. Exemptions can be medical or religious in nature, according to the city's human resources department.
Employees could previously receive weekly COVID-19 testing in lieu of vaccination. The council's decision will remove that option, however.
The city's mayor and all councilmembers except one supported the measure. Councilmember Suzanne Hadley voted against, arguing the mandate would not make city workplaces safer. She noted eight positive COVID-19 cases diagnosed among city hall employees in the last two months, half of which were contracted by vaccinated persons.
"We need to get ahead of this," Mayor Hildy Stern insisted, according to The Daily Breeze.
The Breeze has reported that as of Wednesday, 84 percent of Manhattan Beach employees were already fully vaccinated.
