During a city council meeting on Wednesday, Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order requiring mandatory COVID testing on a bi-monthly basis for all city employees.
"That is all employees," said Turner during his announcement. "Police, fire, municipal workers ... you must be tested."
The order applies to those who are not fully vaccinated and it lists several exemptions, including religious or certain medical reasons.
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Turner said employees must submit proof of a negative test on the first day of the month along with the 15th day of the month.
The test result must be submitted to the city of Houston's human resources department.
The order will take effect on Friday, Oct. 8. To view a list of city of Houston testing sites, visit the city's COVID response website.
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