Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Disney Suspends Vaccine Mandate For Florida Employees In Face Of State Law
The New York Times: Disney Puts Worker Vaccine Mandate On Pause After Florida Ban On Restrictions
Disney has put on pause a coronavirus vaccine mandate for employees of its Florida theme park after the State Legislature and the governor made it illegal for employers to require all workers get the shots, a company spokesperson confirmed Saturday. Walt Disney World could have been facing fines under the policy now on hold, illustrating how even one of the most iconic tourism brands in the state has to deal with the headwinds of political debate over the pandemic response. (Manuel Ramos, 11/21)
Health News Florida: Judge Rejects Florida's Request To Block Biden's Vax Mandate For Health Care Workers
A federal judge has quickly rejected Florida’s request to block a Biden administration requirement that workers at hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers be vaccinated against COVID-19. U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers issued an 11-page order Saturday denying a motion by Attorney General Ashley Moody for a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order against the federal rule. Moody’s office filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the rule and sought an injunction or temporary restraining order before the vaccination requirement takes effect Dec. 6. (Saunders, 11/22)
Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New Florida COVID Laws Could Put Companies In Tough Spot Between Federal And State Rules
Republican state lawmakers have said the idea behind the new laws against COVID-19 vaccine mandates passed this week is to protect people's rights to choose their own health care options. But the new laws could put many business owners in a tough spot. Companies with either 100 or more employees could soon face stiff federal penalties if they don't follow rules issued by the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration that require employees to be vaccinated or test regularly. Health care employers such as hospitals who are covered by a more strict mandate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are in the same boat. (Gilliam, 11/20)
Also —
The Washington Post: Marine Corps Compliance With Vaccine Mandate On Course To Be Military’s Worst
Up to 10,000 active-duty Marines will not be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus when their deadline arrives in coming days, a trajectory expected to yield the U.S. military’s worst immunization rate. While 94 percent of Marine Corps personnel have met the vaccination requirement or are on a path to do so, according to the latest official data, for the remainder it is too late to begin a regimen and complete it by the service’s Nov. 28 deadline. Within an institution built upon the belief that orders are to be obeyed, and one that brands itself the nation’s premier crisis-response force, it is a vexing outcome. (Horton, 11/21)
AP: Kansas Plan On COVID Mandates Faces Bipartisan Skepticism
Conservative Kansas legislators are trying to tamp down fears about the cost and other potential problems with their proposal to provide unemployment benefits to workers who lose their jobs for refusing COVID-19 vaccines. The GOP-controlled Legislature is expected to consider the measure during a special session that convenes Monday, along with another proposal that would make it easier for workers to claim religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The measures are responses to vaccine mandates from President Joe Biden covering more than 100 million American workers. (Hanna, 11/22)
AP: Health Workers Again Challenge Rhode Island's Vaccine Rule
A group of Rhode Island health care workers is again asking a federal judge to block the state’s requirement that people working in the medical profession be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. A lawyer for eight people went before a federal judge on Friday seeking a preliminary injunction barring the state from enforcing the vaccine mandate, arguing that the state must provide a religious exemption if it offers a medical exemption, The Providence Journal reported. (11/20)
The New York Times: Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor-Elect Says She Doesn’t Support Mandates
Winsome Sears, the lieutenant governor-elect of Virginia, reaffirmed on Sunday that she did not support a sweeping vaccine mandate for Virginians like the rules implemented in New York City and elsewhere. “I’m not going to force anybody to do that,” Ms. Sears said on the CNN program “State of the Union.” She added, “I have said: Get the vaccine. And then if you’re not going to get the vaccine, then do what’s necessary to keep yourself safe and keep other people safe.” (Delkic, 11/21)
AP: Tennessee Governor's Aide Warned New COVID Law Was Illegal
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's office warned lawmakers that their sprawling bill limiting COVID-19 restrictions would violate federal law that protects people with disabilities and put the state at risk of losing federal funds, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. The Republican-controlled Legislature ignored the advice and passed the bill anyway. Less than two weeks later, the Republican governor signed it into law. (11/19)
Politico: Buttigieg: Federal Vaccine Mandates Will Not Impact Holiday Travel
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg assured the nation on Sunday that federal worker vaccine mandates will not impact holiday travel. Federal vaccination mandates for civilian federal employees kick in Monday. And Buttigieg said he expects no travel disruption because of it, noting his agency's employees have been very cooperative. “I have seen no indication the vaccine requirements are going to impact travel in any way, certainly in terms of our ability as a federal administration to provide the services that are needed,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.“ (Kim, 11/21)
Meanwhile, mask mandate changes cause worry —
KHN: Lifting DC’s Strict Indoor Mask Mandate Triggers Mix Of Confusion, Anxiety And Relief
A mile northeast of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., along what’s known as the H Street corridor, about half the people crowding the sidewalks are wearing masks. Perhaps it’s because they know that when they step into any business or establishment here, they will have to put one on anyway. The capital, after all, is one of the few remaining cities or states nationwide that mandate masks for public indoor spaces — at least it has, until today. “We have a bunch of rule followers,” said Claire Bengur, the owner of Atlas Salon, which has been in the neighborhood since 2018. “I am so thankful that my salon is in D.C.” She’s been glad to have a mask requirement, she said, because it’s impossible to do clients’ hair without standing close to them. (Michelle Gomez, 11/22)
