Chicago, Boston, DC Get Vax Passport Rules; Utah Wants To Ban Them

NPR: Chicago And Boston Will Require Proof Of Vaccination In Indoor Settings
Residents of Chicago and Boston will soon be required to show proof of full vaccination in order to enter indoor spaces like gyms, restaurants and entertainment venues, in the latest example of cities tightening public health rules to combat the spread of the omicron variant. The Chicago Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that beginning Jan. 3, the city will require everyone ages 5 and up to be fully vaccinated in order to access indoor dining, fitness and recreation venues. They must present either their vaccination card, a photocopy of it, a digital record or a printed record from their vaccine provider. (Treisman, 12/22)

The Washington Post: D.C. To Require Coronavirus Vaccination To Enter Most Businesses 
People 12 and older will be required to show proof of coronavirus vaccination to enter many businesses in D.C., including restaurants, starting in mid-January under rules that Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced Wednesday. (Brice-Saddler, Weil and Portnoy, 12/22)

Salt Lake Tribune: More Anti-Vaccine Bills Coming To The Utah Legislature
Two bills seeking to protect vaccine-hesitant Utahns from discrimination in the workplace or community are slated to debut in the 2022 session, which begins next month. HB 60 from St. George Republican Walt Brooks bans so-called “vaccine passports.” Private businesses could not require customers to prove they’re vaccinated against COVID-19. Government entities would also be blocked from requiring proof of vaccination. The bill bars employers from requiring employees to provide proof of vaccination status. They would also not be allowed to require individuals to get vaccinated under some circumstances. (Schott, 12/22)

In updates on mask mandates —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Federal Judge Rejects School Mask Mandate Challenge
A federal judge in Las Vegas on Wednesday dismissed a challenge to the Clark County’s School District’s student mask requirement, rejecting claims by parents of two students that the pandemic-driven mandate and its enactment violated their constitutional rights. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey’s ruling unsparingly denies the plaintiff’s various claims, citing precedents from U.S. Supreme Court rulings and other court jurisdictions both contemporaneous with the current COVID-19 pandemic and dating as far back as a 1905 Massachusetts case. (Dentzer, 12/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Amazon To Require All U.S. Warehouse Workers To Wear Masks Again 
Amazon.com Inc. said all workers at its hundreds of U.S. warehouses will have to wear masks again starting Wednesday, a mandate prompted by the rapid spread of the coronavirus’s Omicron variant. (Needleman, 12/22)

Bloomberg: Covid Surge: Omicron Triggers Mandatory Mask Order In Colorado Ski Country
A surge in Covid-19 cases -- believed to be the omicron variant - is triggering a mandatory mask order in Colorado ski country at the peak of the holiday travel season. The Eagle County Board of Health, meeting in an emergency session Wednesday, reinstated an indoor mask mandate “regardless of vaccination status.” The popular resort towns of Vail and Avon are located in Eagle County. (Del Giudice, 12/22)

The Texas Tribune: Gov. Greg Abbott Stays Hands-Off As Omicron Spreads In Texas
As other states are mobilizing to respond to the rapidly spreading omicron variant, Gov. Greg Abbott is not budging on his hands-off approach to the coronavirus pandemic that was cemented months ago. In March, Abbott ended the statewide mask mandate, marking the beginning of a sharp shift toward preaching “personal responsibility” and an outright rejection of any government mandate — whether state or local — to curb the pandemic. That philosophy carried the state through the delta variant this fall, even as hospitals were overrun and deaths climbed. Now as the state stares down the latest variant, Abbott remains unmoved, continuing to rule out any mask or vaccine mandates and business shutdowns. “We’re moving forward with life as we know it,” Abbott said Tuesday in a radio interview when asked about omicron. (Svitek, 12/23)

In related news about covid mandates —

AP: California Sets Feb. 1 Deadline For Health Worker Boosters
California’s roughly 2.5 million health care workers have until Feb. 1 to get a coronavirus vaccine booster shot or risk losing their jobs, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. Newsom gave more details on the booster mandate during a Wednesday news conference at a vaccine clinic in Oakland. He had initially announced the new rule on Tuesday afternoon. (Beam, 12/23)

Politico: Newsom, Unions Commit To Keeping ‘Our Classrooms Open’
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday pledged to keep California schools open in a statement he issued with the state's influential teachers unions the day after President Joe Biden said K-12 classrooms must not close. "As we approach the new year, we reaffirm our shared commitment to one another, to our parents and to our students: to keep each other safe and to keep our classrooms open," the joint statement said. It was signed by unions including the powerful California Teachers Association, one of Sacramento's biggest lobbying forces. (Luthi, 12/22)

AP: Department Of Corrections Fined $60K For COVID Rule Lapses 
The Washington Department of Corrections has been fined $60,000 for failing to enforce COVID-19 protective measures at the Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen. The state Department of Labor & Industries said in a news release Wednesday that the agency began an investigation and inspection after a correctional officer tested positive for COVID-19 in June and died. (12/23)

AP: Man Who Kept Diner Open To Pay Bills Dies After COVID-19
A man who defied state orders and kept his restaurant open last year during the pandemic, partly to pay medical bills, has died of complications from COVID-19. John Parney, 62, operated the Quincy Diner in Quincy in southern Michigan. He was admitted to a hospital with COVID-19 in September, went home but quickly developed significant health problems that put him back in the hospital, according to a GoFundMe page. (12/23)