City of Bellingham marks this COVID milestone at the end of Monday
Bellingham will no longer require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Mayor Seth Fleetwood said at a City Council meeting Monday night, Feb. 13.
Fleetwood said the mandate would end at 11:59 p.m. Feb. 13.
“This is something that’s been under review for some period of time,” Fleetwood told the City Council.
Fleetwood said that he wanted to wait to rescind his executive order until it was apparent that there wouldn’t be another COVID-19 surge this winter.
“There’s been an important change in conditions,” Fleetwood said.
“At every step in addressing the pandemic, we sought recommendations from public health officials, followed the science and the data, and took thoughtful, measured steps to protect public health,” he said.
“Due to concerted efforts regarding testing, vaccination, isolation and quarantine, this remaining requirement can be relaxed. COVID-19 is becoming endemic, meaning that it is no longer causing significant disruption in our daily lives such as overwhelming our hospitals and closing down schools and businesses.”
Bellingham’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate had been in effect since Fleetwood ordered it on Sept. 21, 2021.
A total of 27 city employees lost their jobs because of the mandate, according to earlier Bellingham Herald reporting.
Six employees resigned rather than get vaccinated, 17 were dismissed for violating the city’s new terms of employment that required vaccination against COVID-19, and four were dismissed for violating Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s vaccination order for state employees, teachers and health care workers such as firefighters.
Those who lost their jobs or resigned can apply for positions with the city, spokeswoman Janice Keller told The Bellingham Herald.
“For those who chose to leave city employment, pathways exist for them to return. Options for future city employment and related benefits upon their return (such as seniority) vary by type of employee and their applicable union contract. Some agreements negotiated by the unions allowed employees who resigned or retired to retain more options for future city employment than those who chose to be terminated,” Keller said in an email.
Whatcom County currently has a relatively low COVID-19 infection rate of 5.7 cases per 100,000 people, according to The New York Times, whose data reporting is about two weeks ahead of figures reported online by the Whatcom County Department of Health and Community Services Department.
This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
