The Merrill City Council has passed an ordinance stating that no city employee will be forced to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if they don't want it.
City Administrator David Johnson says both he, and the majority of the council, don't see it as the city's place to regulate such things.
“I think this was a statement being made that their shouldn’t be any kind of a mandate forcing people to be vaccinated.”
Johnson says he's been vaccinated but he doesn't want to force that decision on someone else.
“I can say that by choice, I had the vaccine. I would continue to get anything along that line that is offered, but I further would not want anybody else to be forced to do this if they have their own reasons for not wanting to do it.”
Johnson said the ordnance has the support of Mayor Derek Woellner.
It passed the Council on a 5-3 vote earlier this week. In addition to saying no city employee will be forced to receive the shots, the ordinance encourages all city vendors and other employers in Merrill to follow suit.
