The City of Snoqualmie will no longer require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

On Monday, the Snoqualmie City Council voted unanimously to remove the city’s vaccine requirement for employees, saying the pandemic has been waning over the last year.

“At this point, 100% of our employees are vaccinated,” Snoqualmie Mayor Katherine Ross said Monday.

Over the last week, King County has reported just 2.8 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 per 100,000 residents, according to online data.

Meanwhile, about 90% of East King County residents are fully-vaccinated, including about 85% in Snoqualmie’s zip code, according to the same data.

Ross lifted the city’s COVID-19 emergency proclamation last October.

Former Mayor Matt Larson first issued a vaccine mandate for city employees and volunteers in August of 2021, citing public safety and a need to keep employees available for service. The mandate required employees be fully vaccinated or receive an exemption as a condition of employment.

The city laid off eight employees, about 7% of its workforce, due to the mandate. That included four public works employees and three police officers. The city also accepted three of the 19 requests made for exemptions, according to prior Valley Record reporting.

Following Larson’s mandate, the city council codified a vaccine requirement into the city’s employee policy. They reversed that decision this week.