Metro said that it is prepared to ramp up coronavirus testing of its workforce if their vaccination rates do not reach more than 70%.
Only 40% of Metro employees have entered their vaccination status in the employee portal, General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said in a letter.
Suspecting some underreporting since the D.C. area is seeing high vaccination rates, he said that technicians will be sent out with tablets to help employees upload copies of their vaccination cards.
Wiedefeld said that the vaccination rates will determine the agency’s next steps, but if the rate does not get above 70%, Metro’s chief medical officer and chief safety officer have recommended a regimen of mandatory testing.
This means that in order to work, employees who have not provided proof of vaccinations would be required to take periodic COVID-19 tests.
“While I hope that won’t be necessary, given the presence of the Delta variant in parts of our region and the surge of Covid cases the region is experiencing, we are preparing to step up testing processes and procedures if needed,” Wiedefeld said.
Throughout the D.C. area and across the country, many employers, including the federal government, are getting tough on requiring vaccines for their employees.
Many hospitals in the D.C. region have made vaccination against COVID-19 a condition of employment.
- Sign up for WTOP alerts
- Sign up for WTOP’s coronavirus email newsletter
- Latest COVID-19 vaccination numbers in DC, Maryland and Virginia
- Howard Co. touts an 80% COVID-19 vaccination rate
- Anne Arundel Co. mandates masks in county buildings, vaccine requirement for county workers
Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.