Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Company Covid Vaccine Mandates OK'd At Federal Level
USA Today: US Companies Can Mandate Vaccinations, Federal Agency Says
U.S. companies can mandate that employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced in a Friday statement. Federal EEO laws do not prevent employers from requiring that all employees physically entering a workplace be vaccinated as long as employers comply with the reasonable accommodation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws, according to the statement. Employers may also offer incentives to employees to get vaccinated, "as long as the incentives are not coercive," the statement said. (Fernando, 5/29)
Politico: Federal Gov’t Says Employers Can Offer Vaccine Incentives
Employers can offer incentives to their employees to get the coronavirus vaccine without running afoul of federal anti-discrimination law, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said on Friday. In an update of its Covid-19 guidance, the agency said employers may offer incentives to employees who provide documentation of receiving the Covid-19 vaccine outside of work, because requesting proof of vaccination "is not a disability-related inquiry" or an "unlawful request" under federal anti-discrimination laws. (Rainey, 5/28)
In related news about vaccine mandates —
Houston Chronicle: Methodist Hospital Employees Sue Over Vaccine Requirement, Citing Violation Of Nuremberg Code
A group of Houston Methodist Hospital employees are suing the hospital over its recent decision to require workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19. In a lawsuit filed Friday in Montgomery County District Court, 117 Methodist employees allege the rule violates their rights under the Nuremberg Code, a set of medical ethics standards that were created in response to Nazi atrocities during World War II. They allege that, because the three major vaccines have only been approved for “emergency use” by the Federal Drug Administration, they should not be required to take them in order to work for the healthcare provider. (Downen, 5/28)
Bangor Daily News: Maine Lawmakers Reluctant To Share Vaccine Status With Mask Standoff Looming
Both Maine lawmakers’ reluctance to respond to a survey on vaccinations and a standoff over a mask mandate threatening to upend State House business have underscored ongoing political tension around COVID-19 policies. Gov. Janet Mills’ decision to lift Maine’s mask mandate on May 24 followed guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most indoor spaces. But Democratic legislative leaders kept a State House mandate in effect ahead of a Wednesday return to the Capitol for the first time in over a year. (Andrews and Piper, 6/1)
NBC News: Cruise Lines And Florida Gov. DeSantis Square Off Over Vaccine Passports
Florida, which is by far the biggest embarkation point for cruises in the U.S., is home to the headquarters and key infrastructure of several major cruise lines, including Norwegian, whose CEO said the Miami-based company might have to pull its ships out of the state because of the vaccine passport prohibitions. (Seitz-Wald, 5/31)
