Jared Polis says Colorado will weigh whether to follow feds’ lead on coronavirus vaccination policy

With the federal government stepping up pressure on federal employees to get vaccinated, Gov. Jared Polis said he will review the policy and determine if one is needed at the state level and how it would be carried out.

President Joe Biden said federal employees will have to sign forms attesting they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or else wear masks, be tested weekly and maintain their distance from others. The policy, which would cover at least 4 million workers, comes as the highly contagious delta strain of the coronavirus is  causing a surge of cases in Colorado and across the country.

Polis said in an email to The Denver Post that Colorado has been working hard to educate the public on how safe and effective the vaccine is and has worked to ensure the shots are free, convenient and accessible to everyone.

“We also just announced a new round of incentives that we hope will increase the number of Coloradans getting the vaccine,” Polis said.

The state is paying social media influencers from $400 to $1,000 per month to persuade more Coloradans to roll up their sleeves for shots. The people include musicians, doctors and religious leaders.

About 62% of all eligible people in the state are fully vaccinated, and the state has a stockpile of more than 350,000 doses of the vaccine that are set to expire in two months.

Polis said a number of businesses in Colorado are stepping up to ensure workers in the state are vaccinated. The businesses include United Airlines, Google, University of Colorado Health, Banner Health, Denver Health, Adobe, Twitter, Shake Shack and Facebook.

“In order to ensure Colorado remains the best place in the country to live, work and run a business, more Coloradans sitting on the sidelines need to help end this pandemic by getting vaccinated,” Polis said.

Nationally, 69.3% of adults have had at least one shot, short of the 70% goal Biden set for the Fourth of July.

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