Shipyard commander: Workers must be vaccinated or exempted -- or face removal
BREMERTON — Workers at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Kitsap County's largest employer, must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 22 or will face the prospect of termination unless they can prove a medical or religious exemption.
Capt. Jip Mosman, shipyard commander, announced to employees this week that there are still uncertainties surrounding exemptions but that the executive order signed by President Biden and interpreted by Navy leaders is clear.
"The only way someone can stay employed at PSNS & IMF is to be vaccinated or be exempt on a legitimate medical or religious basis," Mosman wrote in a message to all employees. "... If an employee does not qualify for one of these two exemptions and remains unvaccinated, a discipline process will begin."
The latest data available show approximately half of the shipyard workforce — which numbers about 15,000 people — is vaccinated. Biden's order not only included federal workers, but contractors and workers in companies larger than 100 employees.
Read more: https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2021/09/30/commander-workers-must-vaccinated-exempted-face-removal/5904833001/