Majority Obey Military Vax Mandates; Oklahoma Gov. Wants Exemptions
News outlets cover covid vaccinations among the armed forces, noting the "vast majority" have had shots, partly because very few religious exemptions have been allowed. But Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is asking the federal government for exemptions for local National Guard members.
The New York Times:
Military Grants Few Coronavirus Vaccine Exemptions As Deadlines Loom
Two months after the Pentagon began requiring all troops to get the coronavirus vaccine or face dismissal, the vast majority have now had shots, in part because none received a religious exemption, military officials said. While vaccine exemptions are often broadly worded, requests based on religious beliefs are coming under close scrutiny in the military and at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the first federal agency to impose a mandate. They will likely be followed by the rest of the federal government, where most workers are required to be vaccinated by the end of this month. (Steinhauer, 11/2)
Oklahoman:
Oklahoma Governor Wants COVID-19 Vaccine Exemption For National Guard
Saying about 10% of Oklahoma National members have not received the COVID-19 vaccine or don't intend to get the shots, Gov. Kevin Stitt is asking the federal government to suspend a vaccine requirement for local guardsmen. In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Stitt said a federal requirement that military troops receive the COVID-19 vaccine "violates the personal freedoms of many Oklahomans." An estimated 800 Oklahoma guard members have not received the vaccine or don't plan to, Stitt wrote in the Monday letter. Citing recent severe weather events in Oklahoma, he wrote the state could be crippled in the face of an emergency without those guardsmen on call. (11/3)
Fox News:
Air Force Kicked Out 23 Recruits From Boot Camp Who Refused To Get COVID Vaccine
The U.S. Air Force removed 23 recruits from boot camp last week after they refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of the Nov. 2 deadline, defense officials confirmed to Fox News. According to Pentagon officials, there is no military-wide punishment for those who refuse the vaccine, and each service must decide how to handle those situations. The deadline for active-duty members in the Navy to receive the vaccine is Nov. 28, with the Army's being set at Dec. 15. "The secretary's been very clear with the leaders of the military departments that he wants them to execute the mandate with a sense of compassion and understanding," John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said Monday. (Tomlinson and Morris, 11/2)
In other news about covid mandates —
Anchorage Daily News:
Alaska Gov. Dunleavy Forbids State Agencies From Following Federal Vaccination Mandates
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued an administrative order Tuesday prohibiting state agencies from assisting with a proposed federal vaccination requirement for large employers. It also requires Alaska’s attorney general to review all federal vaccination mandates and determine whether the state can challenge them in court. Those measures are two of six points in the order, which the governor said is intended to “guard the Constitutional rights of individual Alaskans from federal overreach.” The restrictions on state agencies do not apply to the University of Alaska, which announced Tuesday that it will require some employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 starting Dec. 8. (Brooks, 11/2)
AP:
Arizona High Court Upholds Ruling Blocking School Mask Bans
The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously upheld a lower court judgment that found the Republican-controlled Legislature violated the state constitution by including new laws banning school mask mandates and a series of other measures in unrelated budget bills. The swift ruling from the state’s high court came less than two hours after the seven justices heard arguments in the state’s appeal of a trial court judge’s ruling. The justices had hammered Solicitor General Beau Roysden with questions about the Legislature’s inclusion of policy as different as dog racing and secure ballot paper in one of the budget bills. (Christie, 11/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SFPD Places Police Officers On Leave For Failing To Meet COVID-19 Vaccination Deadline
The San Francisco Police Department said Tuesday that it placed as many as 70 employees on leave who failed to meet the city’s vaccination deadline this week. In a news release Tuesday, SFPD said 97.5% of its employees — 2,747 out of 2,817 — were fully vaccinated by Monday’s deadline. The department did not explicitly say how many employees were placed on leave or how many may have received exemptions, but noted that those who were not fully vaccinated and those who did not provide vaccination records were placed on leave pending termination proceedings. (Picon, 11/2)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Sheriff Says Employees Who Died Of COVID Were Unvaccinated
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said Tuesday all of the department employees who died of COVID-19 were unvaccinated. Speaking at a Nevada Republican Club event in Las Vegas, Lombardo said he does not have plans to mandate vaccines for existing employees. “They’re all adults and they’re educated, and they can make that decision,” he said after his speech. Multiple Metropolitan Police Department employees have died from the coronavirus since July 2020. Police officers were among the first people to have access to vaccines after distribution began late last year. Metro previously declined to provide information on the vaccination status of the employees who have died since the vaccine was released, citing the federal law restricting release of medical information. (Apgar and Schnur, 11/2)
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Passes Limits On COVID Restrictions In Churches, Care Homes
The eight proposed constitutional amendments on the statewide ballot were headed toward ratification late Tuesday night, including two responses to COVID-19 restrictions: one banning any prohibitions on religious services for any reason and another allowing care home residents to designate an “essential caregiver” who can’t be denied visitation rights. With more than 80 percent of statewide voting locations reporting results, all of the measures were passing comfortably. To be placed on the ballot, each proposition passed both chambers of the Texas Legislature with more than two-thirds approval. Now they are set to become law. (McKinley, 11/3)
AP:
Hawaii Governor To Lift Some Restaurant, Bar Capacity Limits
Hawaii Gov. David Ige said Tuesday he will lift restaurant, bar and gym capacity limits in counties that require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter such businesses. Counties that don’t require such proof will have to continue to demand that restaurants, bars and gyms cap the number of patrons in their establishments at 50% of what they are normally able to fit. Currently, Honolulu and Maui are the only counties to require proof of vaccination or test results to enter such businesses. Kauai and Hawaii counties do not do so. The changes take effect Nov. 12. (McAvoy, 11/3)
KHN:
Unvaccinated? Don’t Count On Leaving Your Family Death Benefits
These days, workers who refuse to get vaccinated against covid-19 may face financial repercussions, from higher health insurance premiums to loss of their jobs. Now, the financial fallout might follow workers beyond the grave. If they die of covid and weren’t vaccinated, their families may not get death benefits they would otherwise have received. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority no longer pays a $500,000 death benefit to the families of subway, bus and commuter rail workers who die of covid if the workers were unvaccinated at the time of death. (Andrews, 11/3)
