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SAN CARLOS – Today, the San Carlos Council, the governing body of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, passed Resolution No. AU-21-121, mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees of the tribe’s government and subsidiary enterprises.
Employees have until September 25, 2021 to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment and must submit proof of vaccination to the Human Resources Department.
The Tribe has recorded a 187 percent increase in cases since June 2021. There are currently 26 active cases on the reservation with nine individuals hospitalized. The mandate resolution comes as tribal epidemiologists identify an R-naught value of 2.5 on the reservation, threatening the health and safety of the more than 1,000 tribal members still unvaccinated, including children.
To date, more than 4,000 members of San Carlos Apache Tribe have been infected with COVID-19 and 5,794 have been vaccinated.
“The Council has taken this action upon the recommendation of our Emergency Response Commission,” said Terry Rambler, Chairman of the Tribe.
“We are seeing a substantial increase in infections, including the presence of the variants, which are more infectious and deadlier. Mandating vaccinations will save lives. Sadly, 68 members of our tribe have already been lost to COVID; we must act now to protect our family, friends, and colleagues and prevent further loss of life.”
The Resolution requires all employees who refuse to be vaccinated or who fail to show proof of vaccination to be subjected to bi-weekly testing for COVID-19.
In addition, employees who opt-out of receiving the vaccination for religious beliefs or for a disability will receive a reasonable accommodation.
Those with questions or in need of scheduling an appointment for their vaccination should contact San Carlos Apache Healthcare at (928) 475-1310
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