Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Mandates Employee COVID Vaccinations

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court is one of the latest local establishments to require staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.

On Tuesday, the Administrative Judges of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court’s four divisions signed and filed the official order mandating employees get vaccinated by Oct. 15, 2021.

Employees will have one week to either provide proof of being fully vaccinated, start the vaccination process, or request a medical or religious exemption, according to the official court order.

Employees who are currently unvaccinated must provide proof of receiving their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna two-shot vaccines or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot by Oct. 1, 2021. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider a person fully vaccinated about two weeks after their second dose of the two-shot vaccines or after their single dose of the J&J vaccine.

Court employees who are not vaccinated by Oct. 15 will be immediately placed on unpaid leave, according to the order. If they still do not begin the vaccination process by Oct. 25, they’ll lose their job. Employment will also be terminated if a staff member does not become fully vaccinated by Dec. 1, according to the order.

Anyone whose exemption request is still pending on Oct. 15 will have 45 days to become fully vaccinated if the request is eventually denied, according to the order.

The order was voted on and signed by judges of the four divisions of the Common Pleas Court in order to reduce the spread of the virus in the court buildings, according to the release. The divisions include the General Court, Probate Court, Domestic Relations Court and Juvenile Court.

According to a prior release, the Court will have on-site vaccination clinics for employees. Those who get the shot will receive a $100 incentive.