State workers who get COVID boosters to get extra paid time off; testing eliminated for some
If you’re one of thousands of state employees who already got a COVID-19 booster shot, you just got an extra day off.
That’s if you work for an agency that reports to Gov. Roy Cooper, who signed an executive order Wednesday giving a day of vacation to encourage state employees to get booster shots. The order also lifts the weekly testing requirement for most unvaccinated employees.
State employees who are eligible may get up to eight hours of paid time off if they provide their agency with documentation that they received their booster shot by Aug. 31 of this year. Employees who get the extra leave are those who work in the Cooper administration’s state Cabinet agencies or any other agencies that voluntarily adopt the same policy.
COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots are free and widely available across the state. Most Cabinet employees live in Wake County.
“Staying up-to-date on shots and getting boosters will help keep our state employees and communities safe,” Cooper said in a news release.
What state employees need to know about booster time
Cabinet agency employees had been required to be vaccinated or be tested weekly. Cooper started that rule last summer, but lifts the vaccinate-or-test requirement for many workers with this most recent order.
His administration reported a vaccination rate of about 78% as of late April. With most employees vaccinated, said Jordan Monaghan, a spokesperson for Cooper, the state is “pausing” the vaccinate-or-test requirement and adding vaccination incentives like the new paid leave.
More details on the extra paid time off to get a booster shot:
▪ It’s for those employees who have already received a booster shot or get one between now and Aug. 31.
▪ Eligible employees may be permanent, probationary or time-limited as well as full-time or part-time with a schedule that is “at least half-time during any month from May to August 2022.” Part-time employees do not get the eight hours’ leave that full-time employees get — their time off is prorated.
▪ It’s only usable once, so if you get more than one booster, you still only get the leave once.
▪ The deadline to use it is March 21, 2023.
“The high rate of vaccination among state employees has led to a dramatic reduction in the number of our workers testing positive in recent months,” Barbara Gibson, State Human Resources director, said in the release.
Cooper’s order also states that the vaccination incentive policy will continue even if the state of emergency ends.
For information about where to get a vaccine, visit myspot.nc.gov, vacunate.nc.gov or call 888-675-4567.
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 5:14 PM.
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