West Tisbury considers lifting vaccine mandate

West Tisbury is considering lifting the town’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Board members discussed the topic at a meeting Wednesday, but had not yet brought it up with town employees.

In August 2021, the board had unanimously voted to require employees at town hall to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they had an approved religious or medical exemption. The board extended the mandate in September to other town employees, including the library and fire station. 

At Wednesday’s meeting, town administrator Jennifer Rand said she had reached out to other towns asking if they had implemented and lifted vaccine mandates, but said that Aquinnah was the only town to respond. Aquinnah has not lifted its mandate. 

Select board member Jessica Miller wanted to hear how employees felt about removing the mandate before they made a decision. She wondered if “employees prefer to have the mandate so they feel safe, or if they feel safe now because medical care knows how to respond to COVID.”

Chair Skipper Manter pointed out that town employees likely often come into contact with unvaccinated people, so the mandate may not have a significant impact. 

Manter thought that “strongly recommending” employees to get vaccinated could be a solution. 

The board decided that town administrator Jennifer Rand would speak with employees to get their opinions on the possibility of lifting the mandate. The board plans on revisiting the subject at next week’s meeting, after Rand has gathered input from town workers.

Last year, a West Tisbury town employee lost her job after refusing to receive the COVID vaccine.