Jail Workers Will Need To Get COVID-19 Booster Shots In Milwaukee County

MILWAUKEE, WI — Workers in jails, detention centers and in behavioral health facilities will have to get their COVID-19 booster shot by early February, Milwaukee County announced on Wednesday.

The requirement applies to all employees, contractors and volunteers working inside the Milwaukee County Jail, the House of Correction, the Youth Detention Center and the Behavioral Health hospital building, the county said in a statement.

The deadline to get the booster shot is Feb. 4 or 21 days after a worker becomes eligible for the shot, the county said. Workers who don't get boosted by the deadline lose their eligibility for overtime and hazard pay, followed by repercussions like unpaid suspension.

The county also offers an incentive: Milwaukee County launched BOOST MKE Co. on Friday, which selects two employees to win $250 on a weekly basis if they get their booster shot from now until March 11, 2022.

There were 692 new COVID-19 cases in Milwaukee County on Friday, and there were 1,260 new cases on Thursday. The seven-day average for new cases in the county was more than 1,700 new cases as of Friday.

There were more than 100 inmates infected with COVID-19 in the Milwaukee House of Corrections in an outbreak early January, and Superintendent Chantell Jewell told CBS 58 that close living settings let the virus spread easier despite masking policy.

Many county workers are already vaccinated against COVID-19, but the vaccine's protection against the disease can weaken over time, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a statement.

"We are still in the thick of the pandemic," Crowley said. "Fortunately, a booster shot improves protection against COVID-19, including the delta and omicron variants."

Health officials agree that getting vaccinated is the No. 1 tool to fight the spread of COVID-19 and to reduce the severe effects of the disease.