Supreme Court Upholds New Mexico’s State Worker Vaccine Mandate
The New Mexico mandate, which does have provision for medical and religious exemptions, applies to hospital workers, nursing home staff and more, and had been challenged in court. Meanwhile, California will mandate its health workers to get a booster shot amid the threat of omicron.
Axios:
Supreme Court Denies Challenge To New Mexico's Vaccine Mandate
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected, without comment, a bid to challenge New Mexico's vaccine mandate for workers in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, among other settings. The court has repeatedly denied bids to block states' vaccine mandates, including in New York and Maine. The New Mexico requirement, which includes medical and religious exemptions, took effect in August. (Chen, 12/21)
In more news about vaccine mandates —
Sacramento Bee:
California Will Require Health Care Workers To Get COVID Vaccine Boosters, Gavin Newsom Says
California will require its health care workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday evening. “With Omicron on the rise, we’re taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared,” Newsom wrote in a tweet. (Bollag, 12/21)
The Mercury News:
San Jose Mayor Liccardo Calls For Booster Requirement At SAP Center
With the omicron variant fueling another dangerous surge of COVID-19 cases, the mayor of the nation’s 10th largest city wants to require employees and visitors of city-owned venues to show proof they got their booster shots before entering. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced a new plan Tuesday that would make visitors prove they’ve received a booster shot in addition to the initial vaccine doses to enter city-owned facilities like the SAP center. For employees who work in those buildings, booster shots would be a condition of employment. (Angst, 12/21)
Los Angeles Times:
UC Requires COVID Boosters, Weighs Online Start Amid Omicron
UCLA and six other University of California undergraduate campuses announced Tuesday that classes will begin remotely at the start of the new term, as colleges throughout the nation wrestle with plans for a safe return after winter break amid an increasingly serious surge of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Additionally, all eligible students and staff in the 10-campus UC system will be required to provide proof that they have received a COVID-19 booster shot, officials announced. (Gomez, Shalby and Watanabe, 12/21)
AP:
Chicago To Require Proof Of Vaccination At Restaurants, Bars
Chicago will require proof of coronavirus vaccination at restaurants, bars, gyms and other indoor venues, as the rapidly spreading omicron variant drives a spike in COVID-19 infections, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday. Lightfoot said the requirement will take effect Jan. 3, and will apply to places in the nation’s third-largest city where food and beverages are served — including sport and entertainment venues — and fitness centers. It doesn’t apply to people getting takeout, who stay in a businesses for less than 10 minutes. (Burnett, 12/22)
Politico:
Boston Mayor Lines Up Vaccine Mandates Amid Pushback From City Workers
Mayor Michelle Wu’s sweeping new vaccine mandates for restaurants, gyms and city workers are drawing mixed reactions from businesses and public employees as local officials scramble to blunt the latest Covid-19 surge. Patrons and staff at certain indoor spaces — restaurants, bars and nightclubs; gyms and fitness centers; and entertainment venues such as theaters and sports arenas — will have to show proof of at least one vaccine dose by Jan. 15 and two by Feb. 15. Wu is also requiring all city employees to get vaccinated along the same timeline unless granted an exemption — a departure from the previous policy that gave workers the option of weekly testing. (Kashinsky, 12/21)
In news about mask mandates —
AP:
Atlanta Reinstates Indoor Mask Mandate As Omicron Spreads
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Tuesday reinstated a mask requirement inside stores and other businesses in the city due to rising COVID-19 infections and the emergence of the extraordinarily contagious omicron variant, which has quickly become the dominant version of the virus in the U.S. The move came as infections in Georgia continued to sprint upward, rising to nearly 6,000 cases detected on Tuesday. The state’s seven-day average of infections has more than doubled in less than a week. (12/22)
Anchorage Daily News:
Anchorage School Board Overrules Superintendent, Extends Mask Mandate To Jan. 15
The Anchorage School Board has voted to keep the school district’s mask policy in place until at least Jan. 15, overruling a decision by the superintendent to make masks optional when students return to classrooms after the holidays. All school board members except Dave Donley voted in favor of the extension. School board member Pat Higgins said he was disappointed by Superintendent Deena Bishop’s announcement, citing the rise of the highly infectious new omicron variant and the fact that many Alaskans remain unvaccinated. (12/21)
Dallas Morning News:
As Texas Preps For Omicron Variant Threat, Gov. Greg Abbott Won’t Ease Stance Against Mask Mandates
With only slight tweaks, the state is responding to threats posed by the new omicron variant of the coronavirus the same way it handled the virus’ delta mutation last summer: It’s setting up COVID-19 antibody treatment infusion centers, “ramping up” vaccination efforts and surging personnel and equipment to hospitals and nursing homes, according to Renae Eze, spokeswoman for Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott is not reconsidering his ban on mask requirements, which constitute one public health tool for tamping the spread of infections, he said Tuesday on Ware & Rima, a conservative radio talk show on KTSA-AM in San Antonio. (Garrett, 12/21)
