Vaccines Required: Auditor, Other WA Agencies Jump On Order

OLYMPIA, WA — Several state agencies are following Gov. Jay Inslee's example, saying they too will be requiring employees to take the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition for continued employment.

Gov. Inslee on Monday announced a new vaccine order, requiring that state workers at executive cabinet agencies and workers in private health care and long-term care settings be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18. To be considered fully vaccinated, a patient must have received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and waited two weeks for full immunity to kick in.

“It is the mission of public servants and those providing health care to serve our fellow Washingtonians. These workers live in every community in our state, working together and with the public every day to deliver services,” Inslee said. “We have a duty to protect them from the virus, they have the right to be protected, and the communities they serve and live in deserve protection as well.”

Following his conference Monday, Inslee encouraged other state agencies to join in. Inslee's office says higher education, local governments, the legislative branch, other statewide elected officials and organizations in the private sector all have the option of issuing their own vaccine requirements if they so choose.

Now, some are taking the governor up on that offer.

A few jumped at the call: The governor was joined Monday by King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, who together confirmed that the county's 13,500 executive branch employees and the City of Seattle's 10,000-plus employees would both be subject to the same vaccine requirement.

Others have followed in the hours and days since. Shortly after Inslee's news conference, Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler announced that his 243 employees would also be required to vaccinate.

“As a doctor and public health expert, I have been encouraging my family, friends and colleagues to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Kreidler in a written statement. “I am pleased that 84% of the people at my agency have self-reported being fully vaccinated. Vaccines are the only way we get back to life as we used to know it, and I am happy to do everything in my power to support that effort.”

Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy is also following suit.

“This step is essential to our duty as public servants,” Auditor McCarthy said. “Doing everything possible to get people vaccinated against a deadly disease is, put simply, the right thing to do.”

The State Auditor's Office employees around 400 people in 15 locations across Washington.

As other agencies announce similar moves, issues may crop up regarding who is eligible for exemptions. The state's order offers exemptions for those with medical reasons or "sincerely held religious belief", and allows employees to apply for exemptions on those grounds. But the state may also have to negotiate collective bargaining obligations with unions before issuing mandates.

That's exactly what's happening at the Attorney General's Office (AGO). Attorney General Bob Ferguson says he's been pushing the idea of a vaccine mandate for AGO employees since July, but that his team is still ironing out the details with employees and union partners.

The governor's office has promised to help with collective bargaining where possible, and the governor has expressed confidence that his order will continue to spread, and in doing so better protect public health.

“Getting vaccinated against COVID is a public good. We have come so close to defeating this deadly disease,” Inslee said. “We have the tool — the vaccine — to get this era behind us. It is safe, it is effective, and you will never regret getting it.”