Nearly 1,000 Mass. employees have left state jobs over COVID-19 vaccine mandate

BOSTON — Out of 41,000 state workers, nearly 1,000 employees have left their jobs as a result of non-compliance with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Governor Charlie Baker’s executive order, which applied to 41,629 Executive Department employees, took effect in October.

According to new data released by the Baker administration, 97% of employees have complied with the mandate or received exemptions.

Religious exemptions were granted to 130 of the 2,164 employees who applied for one. Medical exemptions were approved for 126 of the 394 employees who applied.

Gov. Baker said Thursday, 988 employees are no longer in their jobs due to their non-compliance. That includes 332 voluntary resignations and 656 who lost their jobs involuntarily.

The involuntary dismissals include 160 part-time contractors from the Municipal Police Training Committee, the administration said.

Another 128 employees are classified as “in progress” and 72 are serving a suspension as a result of non-compliance.

State officials said unvaccinated residents are five times more likely to become infected with COVID-19 than are fully vaccinated residents and they are 31 times more likely to get infected than fully vaccinated residents who have received a booster dose.

The Department of Public Health reported earlier this month in a review of breakthrough cases.

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