Earlier this week, as coronavirus cases spike across Florida due to the delta variant, multiple counties announced that employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Now, one of the state’s largest counties is also calling for further employee protections.
Beginning Aug. 30, all new Hillsborough County hires must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, county spokesperson Todd Pratt told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
The county won’t require existing employees to be vaccinated, but is offering multiple incentives to get the shots, including floating holidays for vaccinated employees, and eligibility for a $50 wellness reward.
“Hillsborough County will continue to work with the Department of Health, the local medical community, and others to research and monitor the situation and will respond as appropriate,” said Pratt.
Pratt also told CL that the Aug. 30 date was chosen to give enough time for potential employees to get fully vaccinated before their start date.
Hillsborough County, which has roughly 5,000 employees, is the only Tampa Bay county to require COVID-19 vaccinations for its employees.
On Wednesday, Leon and Orange counties announced that all employees must get the vaccine.
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This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2021.