NSW Police moves to mandate Covid-19 vaccine for all employees

A major workforce has moved to make the Covid vaccine mandatory for all employees as the fight to beat Delta escalates.

NSW Police is moving to mandate the Covid-19 vaccine for all employees who will need to be fully vaccinated by the end of November.

The force made the major announcement on Tuesday, stating that all employees would also be required to have their first dose by the end of September.

Evidence of their vaccination will be used to guide “deployment, welfare and safety management”, police said in a statement.

“Exemptions will be available for medical contraindications and other valid reasons,” the force said.

The move came in response to the state’s escalating Covid-19 crisis with daily case numbers continuing to soar passed the 1000 mark.

The force said the regime acknowledges the frontline role police play given the risk of transmission or exposure for staff was high.

The Covid-19 vaccine will be mandated for NSW Police. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

“We know that the delta strain of this virus poses a significant risk to police officers and staff,” Corporate Services Deputy Commissioner Karen Webb said.

“Each day, we ask our officers to front up and perform their vital policing functions in this extremely challenging environment.

“The only way to face that risk is by ensuring that COVID-19 vaccines are administered to all staff.”

More than 17,000 police employees had already been fully or partially vaccinated.

Last week it was revealed West Australian health workers and Queensland Police would soon be forced to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Queensland Police Service Commissioner Katarina Carroll said vaccinations would be mandated for the entire workforce within the next five months.

Ms Carroll said while authorities respected individual choice, the “overwhelming obligation” was to ensure safe workplaces and a safe community.

“It is also our obligation to ensure we maintain a healthy workforce to meet our obligation of maintaining adequate policing services for every community across Queensland,” she said.

The announcement follows a similar move in Queensland. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Officers and other staff must have their first dose by October 4 and their second jab by January 23.

Unvaccinated members, or anyone legally exempt, must wear a mask while on duty where they cannot socially distance.

WA’s chief health officer Andy Robertson also approved new directions requiring vaccination among health workers in a staged approach, with those in the highest risk situations up first.

The state’s health minister Roger Cook said the directions provided exemptions for certain people, including for medical reasons.

“Despite our continued best efforts to keep the virus out, we cannot be complacent — there is the real possibility that an employee at a health care facility will come into contact with someone who has Covid-19,” he said at the time.

Anyone who fails to comply with the directions faces a fine of up to $20,000.

Originally published as NSW Police moves to mandate Covid-19 vaccine for all employees