SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- San Jose could be the first city in California to require COVID booster shots for city employees and people who enter city-owned facilities, if council members accept the proposal.
Mayor Sam Liccardo on Tuesday proposed the booster shot mandate as a condition of employment.
If passed by the city council, the rule would likely start in January.
Aside from city employees, anyone who visits city-owned facilities will also need to show proof that they received their booster shot to enter places like the SAP Center, Concention Center and San Jose's historic theaters, the city said.
“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,” said Liccardo. “We must take decisive action to protect our workforce and our community, and a booster mandate will help."
No city in California has mandated booster shots yet, but the state has a few vaccine mandates in place which require people in certain professions to get two doses of Moderna or Pfizer, or a dose of Johnson & Johnson's COVID vaccines.
Some California cities also require proof of vaccination with the initial two doses to dine indoors, go to the movies, or attend large, indoor events.
The proposal will be considered by the Rules Committee on January 5, 2022.
The CDC recommends COVID-19 booster shots for everyone ages 16 and older. It's meant to reinforce the protection the original vaccine doses provided, since data has shown that the immunity weans over time.
"Data from clinical trials showed that a booster shot increased the immune response in trial participants who finished a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna primary series 6 months earlier or who received a J&J/Janssen single-dose vaccine 2 months earlier," The CDC said.
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