Vaccine Mandate Off The Table In Arlington

ARLINGTON, MA — A proof of vaccination policy for indoor businesses is off the table in Arlington after the Board of Health shot down a proposal at last week's meeting.

The board did not hold a formal vote on a vaccine mandate, but its members were in agreement that such a policy would not be a good fit for Arlington.

"This is not right for Arlington at this point in time," Board of Health Chair Marie Walsh Condon said. "This isn't where we should spend our energy."

Condon said Arlington does not have the same resources as Boston, which implemented a proof of vaccination policy in mid-January, and pointed to complications around showing documentation of being vaccinated.

"The surge that just happened with the omicron variant, a lot of people were treated with either the antiviral remdesivir or monoclonal antibody therapy," Condon said.

Those patients are not eligible for the vaccine for 90 days after treatment, so "now we have a subset of the population that's medically exempt," she added.

Condon stressed the continued importance of education and access to testing and vaccines. She said she is "cautiously optimistic" the board will not have to consider measures such as a vaccine mandate in the future.

In a statement on Tuesday, Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine confirmed that Arlington would not move forward with a proposal.

"It is my understanding that the Board of Health, based on its discussion at last week's meeting, will not further consider the vaccine mandate at this time," he wrote in an email.