'Chicago Police Department employees submitted thousands of exemption requests for the COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for the vast majority of such requests filed by city employees, according to documents obtained by the Reader.' | taylormooresays
Chicago Police Department employees submitted thousands of exemption requests for the COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for the vast majority of such requests filed by city employees, according to documents obtained by theMore than 40 percent of Chicago Police Department employees applied for an exemption. Only 9 percent of CPD members’ exemption requests were approved, but they represented more than half of all city workers who got approvals.
However, city employees can apply for a vaccine exemption on medical or religious grounds if they demonstrate a life-threatening medical condition or “sincerely held” religious belief barring them from vaccination against the coronavirus. Unvaccinated employees who are granted an exemption are required to take a COVID test twice a week.
By the end of March, the city had received 6,202 religious exemption requests and 406 medical exemption requests. The CPD is disproportionately represented in the application pool: police represented 81 percent of the city’s total vaccine exemption requests and 57 percent of all approved exemptions.City workers at other agencies also applied for exemptions, but at far lower numbers.
At least 15 police department employees and 20 fire department employees have been suspended for refusing to comply with the vaccine mandate. Editor’s note 5/5/22: this graph has been updated after posting to correct the percentage of pending requestsThe mandate drew strong opposition from traditionally conservative, vaccine-skeptical contingents of the city. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 , which represents CPD employees, and the City of Chicago
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