Norwich — With COVID-19 cases on the rise in the city and surrounding towns, Norwich will implement a vaccine mandate for new city employees beginning in January, and a requirement for weekly testing for unvaccinated current employees and elected officials.

The new policy officially takes effect Jan. 1, but City Manager John Salomone said enforcement would begin after the holidays in early January. The new policy applies to city staff and employees at Norwich Public Utilities but not employees of the city school system.

Salomone said he “backed off a little” from seeking a full vaccine mandate based on legal rulings elsewhere but wanted to improve the safety of the workplace, especially for those in small offices and those who have frequent contact with the public.

“We wanted to find a way to protect employees, and the only way to do it is to find out who is vaccinated and do tests every week,” he said.

Salomone said the city administration has no authority over elected officials, but he included them in the policy because they have frequent interactions with the public and attend meetings at city offices. “It’s kind of a courtesy,” he said. In Norwich, only the mayor, six-member City Council, nine-member Board of Education and the city treasurer are elected.

Salomone said he is considering extending the new city policy to appointed boards and commissions as the next step.

Otis Library is not a city facility. But Executive Director Robert Farwell said Friday the library has mandated all staff be vaccinated and requires masks be worn by staff and library patrons.

The new city policy comes as Norwich is experiencing a rise in COVID-19 cases, and hospitalizations at the Backus Hospital reached 33 this week. Patrick McCormack, director of the Uncas Health District, said Friday Norwich’s COVID-19 case rate jumped from 36.7 per 100,000 population Nov. 14–27 to 68.4 cases per 100,000 population Nov. 28–Dec. 11, the latest reporting period. Norwich had 502 new COVID-19 cases for the Nov. 28–Dec. 11 period.

“The situation has gotten worse each week,” Salomone said. “My feeling is, it’s going to get even worse with the omicron variant.”

Norwich had an outbreak of COVID-19 at the city police station in October, and police Lt. Josip Peperni died Nov. 16 of complications from COVID-19. Salomone said at the time that Peperni was not vaccinated. The city police station was closed to the public for nearly a month at the time, and now is open but with a universal mask mandate.

Salomone said the new policy was not prompted by the police department outbreak. He said city officials were working on the policy before that spike in cases occurred. As of this week, 79% of city employees in all departments including NPU employees but not school employees, are vaccinated, he said.

He called a goal of 100% vaccinations unrealistic but hopes the new policy will persuade more employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Consistent with its duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of recognized hazards,” the new policy states as its purpose, “the City of Norwich ('City') has adopted this policy to safeguard the health and well-being of employees and their families, our residents and visitors, and the community from the considerable risks associated with COVID-19.”

Beginning Jan. 1, the policy mandates new city hires must be vaccinated prior to their start date, with religious or medical exemptions to be considered.

All current employees were required to notify the city of their vaccination status by Nov. 21, and all unvaccinated employees are required to always wear masks at work. Starting in January, all unvaccinated employees must be tested for COVID-19 at least weekly and must submit their test results to the city through a confidential employee online portal each Wednesday. Employees are required to use tests that are approved by the Federal Drug Administration; “results from at-home test kits will not be accepted,” the policy states.

“Any employee who does not provide a negative test result in the portal by the Wednesday noon deadline will not be allowed to work and will be on leave without pay until their test results are provided,” the policy enforcement section states. “Any employee that refuses to comply with this policy, fails to provide test results by the deadline, or falsifies their vaccination documentation or test results will face disciplinary action up to and including termination.”

Salomone said a memo was sent to all employees announcing the new policy. He said he “got the gamut” of reactions from staff.

“Some want to be safe; some think it’s a bad idea,” he said. “We have our share of people who are not happy with it.”

c.bessette@theday.com