State says Salem employers can require vaccinations, with exceptions
Salem Health held a Covid vaccine clinic at the state fairgrounds on Jan. 7 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Oregon Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle announced Tuesday that employers in Oregon can require vaccinations for their employees.
Hoyle’s agency, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, said the state guidance largely matches that from the federal government.
“Covid-19 vaccines are becoming more and more widely available each day, and vaccinations hold the key to returning Oregonians to life less restricted by the pandemic,” says Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle. “We all must do everything we can to slow the spread of Covid-19 as quickly as possible – we’re in this together.”
There are exceptions, Hoyle’s announcement said.
“By state law, workers who cannot be required to get a vaccine include people licensed or certified to provide health care, employees of health care facilities, licensed health care providers or clinical laboratories, firefighters, law enforcement officers, corrections officers, or parole and probation officers,” the statement said.
Labor contracts with unions may also prohibit mandated vaccinations, the agency said.
The agency posted a link addressing questions over employee vaccinations.
