Tribal government ends mask requirement for most fully vaccinated employees

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals staff writer  

Beginning Monday, June 7, fully vaccinated Tribal employees will no longer be required to wear masks or face coverings in their work areas and their work area buildings on campus, with the exception of buildings or departments that require the masking standard. 

Drop-in visitors are still not allowed on the Tribal campus and prearranged visitors and vendors must continue to abide by the masking standard.

General Manager David Fullerton notified employees in an e-mail sent late Friday afternoon.  

“Employees who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 will be required to continue to abide by the mask requirement,” he said. “The mask and face covering requires coverage of the nose and mouth, and to be worn at all times. Employees who are vaccinated and would like to continue to wear masks are welcome to do so. We recognize that there are specific buildings that will have to continue to require staff to wear mask due to the nature of daily work their staff are engaged in. Please check with your supervisor for specific direction.”  

Some department areas and duties that will still adhere to mask requirements include Health & Wellness, Education, Adult Foster Care, staff who enter clients’ homes, Law Enforcement and Emergency Services.

“At this point we will not require vaccination verification for our employees,” Fullerton said. “If department managers have reason to believe a staff member may not be adhering to this policy, they will be able to coordinate with Human Resources to request verification of the vaccine. Blatant disregard of this policy will not be tolerated and will be subject to disciplinary action. The falsification of any vaccination record will be subject to disciplinary action.”

All staff will still be required to clear a temperature check daily.