Starting Jan. 1, 2022, Raleigh, NC’s officers and firefighters will have to be fully vaccinated to be eligible for a promotion. This new requirement also applies to all other City of Raleigh employees and will take effect Friday.

According to the City of Raleigh’s website, the policy will remain in place until Wake County’s COVID positivity rate drops below 5 percent and the virus no longer has substantial community spread.

Employees can request religious or medical exemptions, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, WAVY reports.