Approval Ratings Slip For Republican Governors Who Are Anti-Vax-Mandate

Politico: These Republicans Torpedoed Vaccine Edicts — Then Slipped In The Polls
Republican governors crusading against vaccine mandates are facing significantly lower approval ratings on their handling of the coronavirus pandemic than their counterparts. But they’re not worried. From Florida to Texas to South Dakota, GOP governors have been on the front lines of the war against vaccine mandates, barring immunization requirements in their states and threatening to fight President Joe Biden’s federal vaccine mandate in court. Just last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott flat-out banned vaccine requirements, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed up by vowing to sue the Biden administration. (Kashinsky, 10/17)

AP: Fauci Dismayed By Texas' Move To Ban Mandates
Dr. Anthony Fauci is saying Sunday that it is “really unfortunate” that Gov. Greg Abbott has moved to ban vaccine mandates in the state of Texas. The nation’s leading infectious disease doctor, speaking on Fox News Sunday, said that the Republican governor’s decision to block businesses from requiring inoculations would damage public health since vaccines are the “most effective means” to stop the spread of COVID-19. (10/17)

Billings Gazette: Gov. Defends Pandemic Policies As Montana Remains National Hotspot
In a brief phone interview Thursday, Gov. Greg Gianforte defended his administration’s policies toward the pandemic, which have included signing into law the nation’s only prohibition on private businesses requiring vaccines in the workplace, and several measures that limited the power of local health departments to implement measures to curb the virus’ spread. “The government’s role is to educate, to communicate — it’s not to mandate,” Gianforte said. “We’ve seen increases in infections in states with mandates, in states without mandates, and ... the best way for Montanans to protect themselves and their families is to get vaccinated. These vaccines are safe and effective, I’ve continually told that story and I’m encouraged that we’ve seen an increased number of people decide to get vaccinated.” (Wilson, 10/17)

AP: Pritzker Delays Vaccine Deadline For Some State Workers
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has pushed back a deadline for state employees of veterans’ homes, prisons and other congregate facilities to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as his office negotiates with labor unions representing some workers. Pritzker, who in August set an Oct. 4 deadline for state workers covered by his requirement to get the vaccine, on Friday said employees have until Nov. 30 to be fully vaccinated, the Chicago Tribune reported. The workers are employed by the departments of Corrections, Veterans Affairs, Human Services and Juvenile Justice. (10/16)

In other news about covid mandates —

The Washington Post: Deadlines Arrive For School Staff To Be Vaccinated In Washington Region 
Teachers and other school staff in Arlington, Va., have reached a deadline to be vaccinated — among the first school systems in the Washington region to begin enforcing a coronavirus vaccination mandate as the pandemic persists. In coming weeks, other school systems in Virginia, D.C. and Maryland will cross the same public health threshold, which could mean days out of work, disciplinary action or in the worst case firings for those who do not meet their district’s vaccination requirements. (St. George, Natanson and Stein, 10/17)

AP: Judge Limits Unpaid Leave For Unvaccinated Workers At US Lab
A federal judge has limited the ability for now for the nonprofit running Oak Ridge National Laboratory to place employees on unpaid leave who receive exemptions to a COVID-19 vaccine requirement. U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley in Knoxville issued the temporary restraining order Friday barring UT-Battelle from placing employees on indefinite unpaid leave or firing them after they receive a religious or medical accommodation to the vaccine. (Mattise, 10/18)

The CT Mirror: Over 100 Long-Term Care Facilities Still Haven't Reported Vaccination Rates
Nearly three quarters of the more than 600 long-term care facilities that fall under a state mandate requiring workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 reported that 95% of their staff are fully or partially immunized, the Department of Public Health said Friday, more than two weeks after the deadline. Long-term care facilities — including nursing homes, assisted living centers, residential care homes, chronic disease hospitals, intermediate care facilities and managed residential communities — had to report their staff participation to the state by Sept. 28. All employees of those facilities were required to be immunized against COVID-19 unless they obtained a religious or medical exemption. (Carlesso, 10/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: With Vaccine Mandates Looming, Companies Are Worried About Worker Shortages
The coming federal vaccine mandate could result in a wave of firings of employees who are reluctant to get the life-saving shots. That has many companies nervous that those jobs will be difficult to fill in a labor market where willing hands are increasingly hard to come by. Close to three quarters of respondents to a survey this month who haven’t implemented a mandate of their own said fears of worker shortages were behind that decision. The survey, run by labor law firm Fisher Phillips LLP, contacted more than 1,500 professionals from different companies including executives, general counsels, human resources staff and others. (DiFeliciantonio, 10/17)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Mask Mandate Debate Leads To Divides At City Hall
Milwaukee leaders' early pandemic unification over a mask mandate ended this summer, and a debate over bringing face coverings back continues. The city's mask ordinance, which only remained in force as long as the city's COVID-19 health orders were in place, lapsed along with the lifting of the last health order on June 1. While Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic has been vocal in pushing for a return to masking, Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson has resisted for a number of reasons. (Dirr, 10/17)

In updates from New York —

Crain's New York Business: NYC Healthcare Orgs Retained 97% Of Employees After Vaccine Mandate
The COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers has largely resulted in few resignations or dismissals at hospitals in the metropolitan area, according to data manually compiled by Crain’s. NYC Health + Hospitals and Northwell Health reported the highest rates of noncompliance with the state mandate, which enacted a Sept. 27 deadline for healthcare workers to get at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a Crain’s data analysis showed. The city’s public hospital system has about 2,500 unvaccinated workers among its 43,000-person staff, while Northwell terminated 1,400 of its 76,000 employees, spokespeople for the systems said. The systems declined to share breakdowns by individual hospital. (Kaufman, 10/15)

AP: Data: Nearly Two-Thirds Of New Yorkers Are Fully Vaccinated
Nearly two-thirds of New York residents are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the latest federal statistics. About 12.7 million of New York’s 20 million residents are fully vaccinated, according to data released Saturday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s the seventh highest percentage of any state — below Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey. (Villeneuve, 10/16)