The San Benito County Board of Supervisors adopted on a 3-1 vote a COVID-19 policy that requires unvaccinated county employees be tested twice weekly. The Aug. 25 decision came a day after supervisors had the public removed from chambers in response to constant interruptions as they voiced opposition to the policy.
According to the resolution, the county will go a step further than its previous policy of having staff submit a self-attestation form and instead verify vaccination status through either a vaccination record card, documentation from a healthcare provider or a digital record of vaccination.
The resolution also states employees may request an exemption based on religious beliefs or medical reasons. To obtain the medical exemption, employees must submit a written statement from a licensed medical professional.
Unvaccinated employees who do receive an exemption must still go through twice weekly tests, which will be paid for by the county and administered during work hours, and wear masks at all times inside facilities. The resolution states that employees may be terminated if they do not comply with the new policy.
Though the board discussed the policy and had the public speak on it on Aug. 24, it was continued to the next day because Supervisor Bea Gonzales said she could not vote on it because she had not read the email she received on the night of Aug. 23. She said she received the hard copy only minutes prior to the meeting.
“I’m not going to check my email at 11 at night right before a very contentious board meeting to put my head in the clouds and then not get any sleep,” Gonzales said. “I did that for too many meetings already and I was chastised for being too damn emotional here.”
She said she needed physical documents to read, digest and make notes on in order to make an informed decision.
Supervisors Kollin Kosmicki and Bob Tiffany voiced in this and previous board meetings their support for requiring unvaccinated county employees to be tested for COVID-19.
Approximately 12 people spoke against the resolution, saying that it should be people’s choice what they put into their body.
“Now you’re telling people to put vaccines in their bodies, mandating it for people at work who don’t want to do that,” Kimberly Varner-Lopez said. “The firefighters, the police officers, the nurses, the doctors who don’t want to put this in their bodies who know the risks, who have studied the risks… that’s not right.”
On Aug. 18 the Hollister Fire Fighters Association Local 3395 released a statement opposing the San Benito Health Officer’s Aug. 17 order that all fire and emergency medical services employees in San Benito County be vaccinated by Sept. 30
Four members of the public at the meeting said they supported the policy.
“It is my responsibility as a nurse to protect the welfare of my patients just as it is the responsibility of the firefighters, the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department to protect and serve the community in which they live and most of them work,” Melissa Gong said.
Though Gonzales warned the public multiple times during the Aug. 24 meeting to remain silent and allow others to speak, the public pushed back when she said, “Just give them the opportunity. They are the elected officials here. This is our dias and we’ve invited you to our meeting.”
Gonzales immediately tried to rectify what she said by saying “It’s the people’s meeting. I’m human, I make mistakes.”
Members of the public continued voicing their disapproval, at which point Gonzales directed staff to clear the chambers.
Supervisor Peter Hernandez was the lone “no” vote.
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