Jackson Co. employees have until Jan. 10 to receive COVID-19 vaccine or exemption

MEDFORD, Ore. – The clock is ticking for Jackson County employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine or an exception. It’s all because of President Joe Biden’s federal vaccine mandate. A judge reinstated the OSHA vaccine mandate late Friday night.

Now about 900 Jackson County workers have until January 10, 2022, to either get the COVID-19 vaccine or an exemption. This is because the agency has more than 100 employees.

Federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates, something many employers are keeping a close eye on. It doesn’t include every U.S. employer, but it does include Jackson County employees.

Jackson County Administrator, Danny Jordan, said the county has to follow three vaccine mandates, the Oregon Health Authority, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Federal Contract Mandate. Jordan said the OHA mandate is already in effect. The Federal Contract Mandate is pending due to ongoing litigation. The OSHA mandate goes into effect on January 10.

“The federal mandate directs all employers with 100 plus employees to comply with the OSHA federal mandate requirement,” said Jordan.

Jordan said Jackson County has about 900 full-time employees. They have less than a month to get their COVID-19 vaccine. Employees can also file for a religious or medical exception. Something Jordan said many employees have done.

“We haven’t fired any employees for the current mandates that are in place or terminated employees. That doesn’t mean, we couldn’t or that we may not be able to accommodate a case. But at this point, no one’s lost their job for having an exception,” said Jordan.

Jackson County told NBC5 News due to pending litigation some of this could change. The agency said it is monitoring updated mandates, in order to better inform its employees.