Polis seeks vaccine mandate for Colorado health care workers as state orders some employees to get inoculated

Gov. Jared Polis asked the state Board of Health on Tuesday to quickly mandate COVID-19 vaccines for Colorado’s health care workers, an action he had all but ruled out less than three weeks ago.

Colorado officials also announced that state employees working in 24-hour facilities, including prisons and state-run veterans homes, would have to get their shots in the coming months — or find somewhere else to work.

In late July, Polis had said he wouldn’t require state employees to get vaccinated, though anyone who chose not to would need to wear a mask at work and submit to regular testing. That stance largely mirrored the federal government’s softer mandate, which added annoyances for unvaccinated employees but stopped short of firing those who wouldn’t get the shot.

Denver already has required private-sector health care workers in the city to get vaccinated, as have a number of major health systems operating in Colorado.

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