Miami-Dade County to require COVID-19 tests for unvaccinated employees

Miami-Dade County will require employees who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus to be tested weekly for COVID-19.

County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) said in a news conference Thursday that non-union employees will be tested weekly starting Aug. 16.

Employees that show proof that they have been vaccinated can choose to opt out of the testing requirement. Exceptions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, she said.

“We’re committed to doing everything we can to protect our employees and the public as we continue to serve in the midst of this extremely dangerous COVID surge. So, today we are taking a further step forward to ensure a safe and healthy workplace,” Cava said.

The requirement comes as Miami-Dade County deals with a spike in coronavirus infections driven primarily by those who are unvaccinated.

Cava said that the county’s COVID-19 positivity rate is now at 13 percent. As of Wednesday, nearly 1,500 people were hospitalized, 88 percent of those being unvaccinated.

The county has recently expanded vaccination sites and reimposed its indoor mask mandate.

Florida at large is also grappling with a surge in infections.

The White House said Thursday that Florida and Texas have accounted for one-third of new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations nationwide over the past week.

Over the same time period, those states, along with Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, have made up half of new cases.