Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier is threatening to take disciplinary action against any of his employees who refuse to get the COVID vaccine without a valid medical reason not to do so.
According to sources, Lozier sent an email to county prosecutors and other members of his staff on Friday, telling them they would face reprimand if they refuse to get vaccinated at the first opportunity, and face further disciplinary action if they then contract COVID-19 or need to quarantine due to possible exposure.
While Lozier asserts he has the authority to terminate public employees based on his own COVID mandates, he previously announced he would refuse to prosecute any businesses in the county which violated public health mandates by Governor Tom Wolf or Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, insisting the officials do not have the authority to implement such directives.
Lozier, who is a Republican, is currently serving his second term in office.
Lozier told his staff that they must be vaccinated to prevent against spreading the virus to others in the county’s criminal justice system, or to vulnerable populations in the community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studies have shown that vaccines being administered provide an estimated 95% protection from becoming sickened by the virus, but it is currently unknown whether it prevents individuals from spreading the virus to others as asymptomatic carriers.
County Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp told BeaverCountian.com the board will not mandate that county employees under their control get vaccinated.
Two sources separately provided BeaverCountian.com with a copy of the following internal email sent by Lozier on Friday to county prosecutors and other members of his staff. It is being published in full as written by Lozier:
To all employees of the DA’s Office:
This office is integral to maintaining the public safety and welfare of our community. We are all part of the law enforcement community if (sic) Beaver County.
Every day, our personnel come into contact with other employees, county personnel, police, jurors, victims, witnesses, defense attorneys and criminal defendants. Some of these individuals are medically vulnerable or in turn come into contact with those who are medically vulnerable. An outbreak in this office impacts the function, health and safety of the office, the courts, and every police agency in the County.
The vaccines being offered have no cognizable medical risk.
