Unvaxxed United Airlines Employees Can Return To Work

The Wall Street Journal: United Airlines To Let Unvaccinated Workers Return 
United Airlines Holdings Inc. will allow workers who haven’t been vaccinated against Covid-19 for religious or medical reasons to return at the end of this month, according to people familiar with the decision. The move permits staffers with exemptions from the carrier’s vaccination requirement for its U.S. employees to return from unpaid leave or from the noncustomer-facing roles they were allowed to apply for as an alternative to their regular jobs, the people said. (Sider, 3/9)

In other vaccine mandate news —

San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco Drops Vaccine Mandate For Indoor Restaurants, Bars
Starting this Friday, San Francisco will no longer require people to provide proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test to enter indoor restaurants, bars and gyms, city health officials announced Wednesday. The move will bring an end to a requirement that was first implemented in August, when San Francisco became the first major U.S. jurisdiction to mandate full vaccination to enter these indoor spaces. City health officials enacted the requirement because people in such locales typically remove their masks or breathe heavily, which increases the risk of transmission. (Ho, 3/9)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Moves To Lift Vaccine Verification Mandate At Indoor Businesses
Los Angeles City Council members took the first step Wednesday toward lifting vaccine verification requirements at many indoor businesses, the latest in a slew of rule relaxations as the Omicron surge steadily fades. While not yet final, the move would have a sweeping effect in the City of Angels: removing the mandate that establishments such as restaurants and bars, hair salons, gyms and movie theaters screen whether their indoor patrons are vaccinated against COVID-19. (Money, Lin II and Alpert Reyes, 3/9)

AP: Panel Opts Against New Vaccine Requirement For Wash. Schools 
A state advisory group has decided against recommending a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students in K-12 schools. The state Board of Health last fall created a separate technical advisory group tasked with researching whether a COVID vaccine would meet all the scientific criteria needed to be added to the list of required K-12 immunizations. The volunteer group was made up of doctors, public health officers, state and local education leaders and community organizers. (3/9)

AP: Delaware Paramedic Gets Probation For Fake Vaccine Cards 
A Delaware paramedic has been sentenced to six months of probation for making and selling fake COVID-19 vaccine cards. David Hodges pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor on Monday, The News Journal reported. The judge also ordered him to pay a $1,300 fine, which is equivalent to what federal prosecutors said were his proceeds from the scheme. (3/9)

And in updates on mask mandates —

The Boston Globe: Boston Public Health Officials Rescind Public Health Emergency, Take Steps Toward Ending School Mask Mandate
The end of the emergency measure comes nearly two years after it was declared and represents another milestone in the city’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic. The declaration went into effect on March 15, 2020, enabling the city to institute mask mandates, vaccine requirements, and access to state and federal resources. Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, recommended rescinding the emergency order, noting many provisions have already ended. But she said the agency will remain vigilant in protecting the public from the virus and will respond accordingly when necessary. (Vaznis, 3/9)

AP: Seattle Schools Will Drop COVID-19 Mask Mandate 
Seattle Public Schools says it will lift its COVID-19 mask mandate beginning Monday. Late last month Gov. Jay Inslee said the statewide mask requirement for schools would lift on March 12 as cases and hospitalizations have been declining following a surge during caused by the omicron variant. Inslee had said going forward decisions about masking would be left to local districts. (3/9)

AP: NC Governor's Veto Of School Mask Mandate Opt-Out Is Upheld 
The North Carolina legislature failed on Wednesday to override another of Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes, this one on a bill that would have allowed K-12 students to opt out of COVID-19 mask-wearing mandates, even as those schools with such directives have become few. The Senate’s 27-22 vote fell short of the three-fifths majority required to overcome Cooper’s most recent veto. The result means the Democratic governor’s streak of upheld vetoes — stretching from early 2019 — continues. (Robertson, 3/10)

AP: GOP Lawmakers In Kansas Pushing For Ban On All Mask Mandates 
Republican legislators in Kansas are trying to prohibit state and local mask mandates during disease outbreaks, advancing such a ban Wednesday along with proposals aimed at discouraging local restrictions on businesses and public gatherings. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a measure that would limit the power of state and local health officials during pandemics and strip them of their power to mandate wearing masks. It approved a separate measure to require cities and counties to cut businesses’ property taxes for each day they are forced to close or limit their operations. Both measures go next to the full Senate for debate. (Hanna, 3/9)

CNN: How Kids Are Navigating Schools Where Masks Are Optional 
As many schools in the United States are lifting mask mandates, some kids are taking their health into their own hands. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new measure for determining community Covid-19 levels and severity means that nearly 70% of the United States population lives in areas where masks are no longer required. Heeding this guidance, some schools have made mask-wearing optional for students and staff -- but some children and their parents aren't ready to let masks go just yet. (Rogers, 3/9)