Boston’s Vaccine Mandate Dealt Setback As Local Fights Stretch Out
The debates over covid vaccine rules continue to play out in courtroom and statehouses in Massachusetts, Idaho, California, D.C. and Montana.
The Boston Globe:
Appeals Court Grants Injunction Against Wu’s Workforce Vaccination Mandate
An appeals court judge Tuesday granted an injunction blocking Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for workers from three municipal unions until the two sides hash out a solution at the bargaining table, state labor authorities decide the matter, or there is a court resolution to the case. The decision from Justice Sabita Singh represented a blow to Wu’s vaccination mandate, a policy that has dominated her early tenure in City Hall’s fifth-floor corner office, and the latest turn in a COVID-19 fight that has pitted the city’s new and progressive mayor against a bloc of decidedly old-school Boston power: a trio of public safety unions. (McDonald, 2/15)
AP:
House Committee OKs Ban On Businesses Requiring Vaccinations
A panel of Idaho lawmakers has advanced a bill that would make it a crime for Idaho businesses to require employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The federal government and companies employing health care workers would be exempt under the bill from Rep. Charlie Shepherd. But all other businesses would be barred from firing, segregating or otherwise treating unvaccinated workers differently than vaccinated employees. (Boone, 2/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Judge Dismisses Firefighter Group's Lawsuit Over L.A. Vaccine Policy
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by a group of Los Angeles firefighters over a city requirement that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. Judge Michael P. Linfield wrote that “courts have consistently held that government has the power to require vaccinations to protect the public’s health and safety.” He cited several cases, including a 1905 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that compulsory vaccinations are allowed under the Constitution. The city last year made COVID-19 vaccination a requirement of employment, while also granting exemptions for employees based on medical conditions or religious beliefs. (Smith, 2/15)
The Washington Post:
About 3 In 4 D.C. Residents Support Vaccine Rules Bowser Just Rescinded, Poll Finds
About three-quarters of D.C. residents support the city’s vaccine requirement to enter certain businesses, a policy that Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) ended Tuesday. The citywide Washington Post poll finds 74 percent of residents support D.C.’s requirement to show proof of vaccination before going inside restaurants, gyms, concert venues and sports arenas. Most D.C. residents also say Bowser’s restrictions on residents and businesses have been “about right.” (Moyer, Guskin and Brice-Saddler, 2/15)
Billings Gazette:
Montana Health Facilities Report Vaccine Compliance, With Some Leaving Jobs
Hospitals, nursing homes and all other Medicaid-accepting facilities across Montana have been busy processing data on staff vaccination, exemptions and, in some cases, unemployment. Feb. 14 marked the first deadline for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) COVID-19 vaccine mandate. All employees working at a facility receiving reimbursement from the federal agency are required to provide proof of at least one dose of vaccine or a medical or religious exemption. At Benefis Health System in Great Falls, 37 employees opted to end their employment rather than get vaccinated or try for an exemption. The resignations were not concentrated in a specific department or employee type, according to Whitney Bania, senior communications specialist at Benefis. (Schabacker, 2/15)
