With the Omicron variant fueling another dangerous surge of coronavirus cases, the mayor of the nation’s tenth largest city wants to require that employees and visitors of certain city-owned venues show proof of a booster shot.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced a new plan Tuesday to require proof of full vaccination and an additional booster shot in order for residents or visitors to enter city-owned facilities like the SAP center and as a condition of employment with the city.
If the rest of the City Council endorses his proposal next month, San Jose could become the first city in California to enact such a mandate, according to Liccardo’s office.
San Jose currently requires that attendees and staff of events with 50 or more people held at city facilities — such as the SAP Center, Convention Center, Montgomery Theater, San Jose Civic and Center for Performing Arts — show proof of full vaccination prior to entering. City employees are also required to be fully vaccinated or to have a religious or medical exemption.
Now, the mayor wants to take one step further and require proof of a third shot, which experts say is the most effective tool to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant.
“To avoid crippling levels of hospitalizations and tragic outcomes, we have the great benefit of widespread access to booster shots, but we lack the benefit of time,” Liccardo said in a statement. “We must take decisive action to protect our workforce and our community, and a booster mandate will help.”
Under Liccardo’s proposal, there would be exemptions in place for people who received their second dose of the vaccination within the last 6 months and children who are currently ineligible for a vaccine. The City Council is expected to take up the issue in early January.
Federal officials said Monday that Omicron has become by far the dominant form of new virus cases in the country, accounting for more than 73% of new COVID-19 cases less than three weeks after the first was reported, according to estimates posted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Dec. 16, Santa Clara County had confirmed 10 cases of the Omicron but county officials stressed that it was likely far more widespread.
Of the county’s 10 Omicron cases, four individuals were unvaccinated, five were vaccinated with two doses and one had also received a booster, according to County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody. Most of the individuals were symptomatic but none of them required hospitalization.
The city-owned facilities where this mandate would apply to include:
- SAP Center
- San Jose McEnery Convention Center
- San Jose Civic
- Center for Performing Arts
- California Theatre
- Montgomery Theater
- Hammer Theater
- San Jose Museum of Art
- The Tech Interactive
- Mexican Heritage Plaza
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.