On Tuesday, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced that the state would move to phase 1b of its vaccination plan starting this Monday.
In addition to anyone aged 55 or over, as well as individuals aged 16 to 54 at increased risk of serious COVID-19 disease due to various underlying medical conditions, the phase 1b group includes “frontline workers” who have an increased risk due to their occupation. DHEC defines frontline workers with increased occupational risk as people who:
- It must be personally in the workplace.
- Perform work that puts them at greater risk of exposure due to frequent, close (less than 6 feet) and continuous (over 15 minutes) contact with other people in the work environment.
Examples of frontline workers include school and daycare workers, manufacturing workers, grocery workers and police.
When seeking vaccine services, frontline workers included in phase 1b may be asked to show eligibility, checking whether they meet the criteria for a frontline or essential worker. While it’s still unclear how vaccination sites will verify the identity of frontline workers, frontline workers who qualify for vaccination at this time just because of their occupation must bring proof of employment, such as a paycheck, badge and / or a letter from your employer to the vaccination site.
South Carolina employers must anticipate requests from employees seeking verification of eligibility for phase 1b vaccination. Employers may want to consider providing a voucher letter to qualified individuals, checking that they meet current eligibility guidelines, as specified by DHEC. Employers must also remind employees to bring employee or state or federal identification to their vaccination appointment.
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