More States Mandate Shots For Health Workers, Government Employees

Los Angeles Times: California Mandates Vaccines For Healthcare Workers By Sept. 30
In what officials characterized as the first requirement of its kind in the nation, California ordered Thursday that healthcare workers statewide must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 come early fall. The new mandate applies to employees in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, clinics, doctor’s offices, hospice facilities, dialysis centers and most other healthcare settings, and stipulates that they complete their inoculation regimen by Sept. 30. (Money, 8/5)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland’s State Jail, Hospital And Health Care Workers Will Need COVID Vaccine Or Have To Wear Masks And Be Tested 
Maryland will require state employees who care for people in prisons, hospitals, veterans centers and juvenile facilities to get COVID-19 vaccinations, or submit to regular testing and mask-wearing restrictions starting Sept. 1, Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday. Hogan’s order applies to 48 state-run “congregate care” facilities. Those who do not get at least one dose of the vaccine by September will have to be tested multiple times a week, Hogan said. (Condon and Wood, 8/5)

Crain's New York Business: New York City Hospitals Get Creative To Implement Covid Vaccine Mandates
New York City hospitals and health systems are developing expansive internal infrastructure to facilitate the rollout of newly announced staff vaccination policies, including an IT platform that tracks Covid-19 test results and 24-hour testing sites where employees can get swabbed during their shift. Each system faces the challenge of implementing mechanisms for communicating requirements, tracking compliance, vetting exemption requests and disciplining employees who flout the new rules. The guidelines so far range from a no-exceptions vaccine mandate for patient-facing employees at state-run hospitals such as SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn to weekly testing requirements for unvaccinated workers at the city’s public hospital system, Mount Sinai Health System and Northwell Health. (8/5)

Modern Healthcare: Unions Divided Over Healthcare Worker Vaccine Mandates
As more healthcare organizations impose requirements for their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, support for mandates among the country's leading labor groups has been mixed. Unions such as National Nurses United and the National Union of Healthcare Workers endorsed employer vaccine mandates, so long as workers voices are formally heard when policies are developed. Others, including the Service Employees International Union, have withheld support so far, and contend that these requirements present complex questions that go beyond a simple "yes" or "no" response. (Ross Johnson, 8/5)

In other updates on vaccine mandates —

AP: Hawaii State, County Workers Face Vaccine, Testing Rules
As Hawaii reported another high Thursday in the number of new coronavirus cases, Gov. David Ige announced requirements for all state and county employees to disclose their vaccination status. Employees who don’t show proof of vaccination by Aug. 16 must take weekly tests and those who don’t comply could be fired, Ige said. (Kelleher, 8/6)

The Washington Post: Virginia State Workers Need To Show Proof Of Covid Vaccination Or Get Tested, Northam Says
The governors of Virginia and Maryland on Thursday announced some state employees would be required to get vaccinated or get tested regularly for the coronavirus, but neither said he would reimpose a mask mandate as cases in the region continue to increase. Meanwhile leaders of several localities in Maryland — including Montgomery County, the state’s most populous jurisdiction, and Prince George’s County, the second-largest and the hardest hit by the virus — announced they were requiring indoor masks for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, as much of the state reached a “substantial” level of coronavirus transmission. (Portnoy and Wiggins, 8/5)

AP: In New York City, Impending Vaccination Rules Prompt Concern
Michael Musto can’t bring himself to ask his regulars at his Staten Island restaurant, Cargo Cafe, to prove they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus. So if New York City presses on with its plans to require eateries, bars, gyms and many other public gathering places to require patrons to show proof of vaccination before coming indoors, he will again shutter his dining room and move operations outside. (Calvan, 8/5)

NBC News: Privacy And Efficacy Concerns Remain For New York's Vaccine Passport Apps
As New York becomes the first major U.S. city to mandate proof of vaccination against Covid-19 for indoor activities, like going to restaurants and theaters, technology experts are raising concerns that the apps have accuracy and privacy problems, to the point that they are advising New Yorkers to revert to using their original paper vaccine cards. Some New York legislators have even gone so far as to propose a bill that would mandate that such “immunity passports … only collect the minimal amount of information required to verify an individual’s vaccine or test status” and that “they delete this information within 24 hours.” It would codify into state law that paper cards would be accepted. (Farivar, 8/5)

Los Angeles Times: Palm Springs Will Require Vaccinations Or Negative Covid-19 Tests For Indoor Dining
The Palm Springs City Council has passed a motion that will require proof of vaccination — or recent negative COVID-19 test results — in order to dine or drink indoors. The regulations were approved unanimously during a special — and virtual — meeting Wednesday that was convened to discuss a series of new measures meant to curb the spread of the virus. Effective immediately, customers, employees and other visitors must wear face coverings in indoor settings. The same goes for large ticketed city events outside, such as the two-weekend music festival Splash House, which begins Aug. 13. (Breijo, 8/5)

From businesses —

CNBC: United To Require Covid Vaccinations For Its 67,000 U.S. Employees
United Airlines will require its 67,000 U.S. employees to get vaccinated against Covid by no later than Oct. 25 or risk termination, a first for major U.S. carriers that will likely ramp up pressure on rivals. Airlines including United have so far resisted vaccine mandates for all workers, instead offering incentives like extra pay or time off to get inoculated. Delta Air Lines in May started requiring newly hired employees to show proof of vaccination. United followed suit in June. (Josephs, 8/6)

The Washington Post: 13 D.C. Area Theaters Will Require Audiences To Prove They’re Vaccinated
If you want to see a Broadway show this fall, you’re going to have to show proof that you’ve been vaccinated. Closer to home, if you want to see a musical or drama at one of D.C.'s leading theaters, you’re probably going to have to provide proof of vaccination, too. A coalition of 13 Washington area theaters, including Arena Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre and Round House Theatre, announced Thursday that they will require patrons to be vaccinated to attend productions through the end of 2021. Exemptions will be made for those who cannot be vaccinated, such as children younger than 12. (Hahn, 8/5)

The Washington Post: CNN Fires Three Employees Who Violated Its Covid Vaccine Mandate And Showed Up To Work Uninoculated 
CNN has fired three staffers for working in the office despite being unvaccinated, in an incident that highlights the potential challenge facing employers who mandate inoculations amid a surge of the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus in America. Jeff Zucker, the cable network’s president, wrote in a Thursday memo obtained by The Washington Post that CNN was “made aware” in the past week of three employees violating its policy that only fully inoculated people work out of its buildings. “All three have been terminated. Let me be clear. We have a zero-tolerance policy on this,” Zucker wrote. (Jeong, 8/6)

Also, more on verifying and proving vaccine status —

CBS News: Yelp To Allow Users To Filter Businesses Based On Vaccination Requirements
Restaurant review app Yelp has introduced a new feature that will allow users to filter restaurants and other locations based on vaccination requirements and staff vaccinations. The app's new update will tell Yelp users what restaurants, bars, spas, and more have their staff fully vaccinated, and which businesses require guests to be vaccinated to enter, as states around the country introduce new requirements to combat the rise in COVID-19 cases. "With the uncertainty surrounding the spread of the COVID Delta variant, we're seeing an increasing number of businesses implement new safety measures to protect their employees and communities," Yelp said in a statement Thursday. "Users will be able to filter by these attributes when searching for local businesses on Yelp and will easily see 'Proof of vaccination required' indicated on restaurant, food and nightlife businesses in search results." (Jones, 8/5)

CBS News: How To Prove You're Vaccinated As More Venues Make It Mandatory 
With new vaccine mandates in place and more on the way, individuals who wish to patronize some gyms, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues will need to prove they're inoculated against the coronavirus. Simply saying, "I'm vaccinated," is no longer sufficient. Neither is sporting the "I got the shot" sticker you might have been given when you received one or both jabs. (Cerullo, 8/5)

The Boston Globe: Here Come The Vaccine Passports
The Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI), a consortium of major tech and health care companies including Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, and the Mayo Clinic, says it’s come up with a more durable way to show genuine proof of vaccination. It’s the SMART Health Card, a national standard for digital vaccine certificates based on technology from Boston Children’s Hospital. The standard was recently finalized, and is now rolling out across the United States. (Bray, 8/5)

The Wall Street Journal: How To Show Proof Of Your Covid Vaccine On Your Phone
Your phone can already replace most of your wallet: your subway pass, credit card, plane ticket, hotel keys and soon even your driver’s license. It’s a great place to store your Covid-19 vaccine record, too. (Nguyen, 8/5)