Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With Biden Behind Their Efforts, Businesses Expand Vaccine Mandates
The Wall Street Journal: Biden To Urge Businesses To Require Covid-19 Vaccine For Workers
President Biden will meet Wednesday with the chief executives of United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Kaiser Permanente in a bid to encourage more companies to follow their lead and require workers to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Howard University President Wayne Frederick and Diane Sumpter, a small business leader from South Carolina, are also expected to attend the virtual meeting alongside United CEO Scott Kirby and Kaiser Permanente CEO Gregory Adams, a White House official said. (Parti and Siddiqui, 8/11)
CNBC: Citi Mandates Employees Be Vaccinated Before Returning To Corporate Offices
Citigroup told employees that they’ll need to get the Covid-19 vaccination before returning to its offices, becoming one of the only major U.S. banks to take that stance. The move was announced Tuesday as part of the bank’s plans to bring more workers back to corporate offices in the New York area, as well as Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, according to a LinkedIn post by the bank’s human resources head Sara Wechter. (Son, 8/10)
The Washington Post: D.C. Employees Must Get Coronavirus Vaccine Or Get Tested, Mayor Says
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced Tuesday all city employees and contractors will be required to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing for the coronavirus, with vaccination required for new employees. Bowser stopped short of issuing a full mandate, and officials argued that educating employees about the vaccine and allowing for a testing option — instead of issuing a blanket requirement — would ultimately increase vaccination rates. (Stein and Elwood, 8/10)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly Will Reinstate Indoor Mask Mandate — With Exception For Businesses That Verify Vaccination Status
Philadelphia officials are expected to impose new coronavirus restrictions Wednesday, with a mandate that businesses either require masks for everyone or verify that all staff and customers are fully vaccinated, according to the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association. That would mean even fully vaccinated people would need to wear masks in any business that doesn’t check vaccination status. (McCrystal, 8/11)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly’s Largest Union For City Workers Says It Won’t Oppose A Vaccine Mandate
Philadelphia’s largest union for city workers won’t object if Mayor Jim Kenney requires municipal employees be vaccinated. “We have to be supportive” if the city pursues a mandate, Ernest Garrett, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 33, said in an interview Tuesday. But he will push to ensure the city includes broad exceptions for medical or religious reasons. (Collins Walsh and McCrystal, 8/10)
CNN: 3 Major US Airlines Will Not Mandate Shots For Their Unvaccinated Workers
The CEOs of Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines say they are not requiring unvaccinated employees to receive the shot, breaking with United Airlines' mandate that workers get vaccinated by October 25 or face getting fired. In an internal memo obtained by CNN, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said the airline will "continue to strongly encourage" that workers get vaccinated, but the airline's stance has not shifted. (Muntean, 8/10)
In updates on mandates for health care workers —
The Providence Journal: RI To Require COVID Vaccines For Health-Care Workers
All health-care workers in all state-licensed health facilities will be required to be vaccinated by Oct. 1, Gov. Dan McKee announced Tuesday. Those include hospitals, nursing homes, group homes, congregate-care entities and other centers and programs. Until Oct. 1, the governor said, all heath-care workers at public and private facilities who are not fully vaccinated will be required to wear surgical masks while at work, and will have to be tested at least twice a week. (Miller, 8/10)
Des Moines Register: MercyOne, Broadlawns To Require COVID Vaccinations For Employees
All Des Moines area hospitals will require employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. MercyOne Medical Center and Broadlawns Medical Center announced Tuesday that they're invoking such mandates amid a resurgence of the pandemic. UnityPoint Health and the Veterans Medical Center had announced earlier this summer that they would mandate the vaccine for employees. Together, the four health systems run eight hospitals and numerous clinics in the Des Moines area. (Leys, 8/10)
The Boston Globe: As Infections Rise Across Mass., Hospitals Set Deadlines For Employee Vaccinations
Massachusetts’ largest hospital systems are setting stricter vaccination mandates for employees, no longer hinging them on full FDA approval of the COVID vaccines, amid another spike in infections and growing fears about the Delta variant. Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Lahey Health, along with Wellforce, the parent company of Tufts Medical Center, on Tuesday became the latest to announce that their workers must be fully vaccinated this fall. Wellforce set a deadline of Oct. 1, while Mass General Brigham said it would give employees until Oct. 15, and Beth Israel Lahey said Oct. 31. Combined, they employ more than 130,000 people. (Dayal McCluskey, 8/10)
In other updates on mask and vaccine mandates across the U.S. —
Axios: Oregon To Resume Mask Mandate Statewide For Vaccinated, Unvaccinated
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) will resume a statewide indoor mask mandate for all residents, regardless of their vaccination status, to combat a rise in COVID-19 cases, her office announced Tuesday. Oregon is the third state, after Hawaii and Louisiana, to require residents who are fully vaccinated against the virus to wear masks. (Falconer, 8/10)
Reuters: Hawaii To Reimpose COVID-19 Restrictions As Delta Variant Surges
Hawaii will re-impose COVID-19 restrictions limiting social gatherings to avert straining the state's healthcare, Governor David Ige said on Tuesday, as the rapid spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus pushed cases and hospitalizations in the United States to a six-month high. "I'll be signing an executive order that will limit social gatherings, effective immediately," Ige said in a tweet. (8/11)
The Washington Post: Maskless Woman Who Yelled At Bank Worker Is Not Protected By Free Speech, Judge Ruled
A maskless woman who yelled at a bank worker in New Jersey when she was told to put on a face covering is saying the outburst is protected free speech. But a New Jersey Superior Court judge on Friday denied her motion to dismiss the lawsuit against her. Citibank worker Sanaa Rami says she suffered emotional distress after the Nov. 27 encounter, when she asked customer Lilach Kuhn to wear a mask, which Kuhn refused to do before complaining. (Kornfield, 8/10)
