HARTFORD, Conn. — Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday that state agencies have been directed to prepare for staffing shortages, as Connecticut's vaccine mandate deadline fast approaches.
Lamont said this directive is due to non-compliance with executive orders requiring COVID-19 vaccination or testing.
State workers who fall under this vaccine mandate have until midnight on Monday, Oct. 4 to show proof of vaccination, or they could be put on unpaid leave.
The unpaid leave could begin as soon as Tuesday, Oct. 5, but no later than Monday, Oct. 11, according to a release.
Lamont's office reported around 5,000 people are still non-compliant as of Friday, but more people continue to come in each day.
"I'm told about 1,000 plus a day have been coming in,” Lamont said.
“I continue to remain optimistic that our employees will submit their testing and vaccination information quickly,” Lamont said in a statement. “But as we have done throughout the pandemic, we will prepare for the worst to prevent impacts to the critical services the state provides. The health and safety of our employees and the people of Connecticut remain our top priority."
Lamont continued that there is no reason all state employees should not be in compliance.
"I continue to count on state employees to lead by example and to respect their co-workers and the public by complying with this executive order, which is the law," he added.
The governor has instructed the Connecticut National Guard to plan for deployment, if needed, to support operations until more workers can be hired, or those non-compliant employees come into compliance.
Maj. David Pytlik of the CT National Guard said they are prepared to step up and support the state if called upon.
“Right now at this point, each of the state agencies is taking a look at where they potentially may have some shortfall and where we may come into play is in terms of capability,” Pytlik said.
Pytlik added that the Guard is closely monitoring critical sectors and key positions that may be affected by a labor shortage.
"At this time, we haven’t been asked to support any particular function, but we will continue to monitor and prepare as necessary," Pytlik said. "As an organization, we have a variety of different types of units and our members have a variety of different civilian skill sets."
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.