St. Paul requiring COVID-19 vaccine for all city workers

The city of St. Paul will require all city employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine series by the end of the year.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced the vaccine mandate on Thursday in a video posted to the city’s YouTube page.

"Meeting this requirement will also include providing proof of your vaccination and attesting to your vaccination status, except in those instances when our colleagues may qualify for an accommodation or religious exemption," Carter said.

The mandate also won’t allow workers to opt out of getting vaccinated in favor of regular COVID testing. However, it wasn’t immediately clear what repercussions employees who don’t follow the mandate might face.

The mayor cited recent data from St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health showing the COVID-19 positivity rate has increased threefold since July as the reason for the requirement.

More information regarding the mandate will be posted by the city in the coming days.

A list of other localities requiring a COVID-19 vaccine can be seen here.