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Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...inslee-are-among-the-strictest-in-the-nation/
Washington’s COVID vaccine mandates ordered by Gov. Jay Inslee are among the strictest in the nation
Aug. 18, 2021 at 4:37 pm Updated Aug. 18, 2021 at 5:02 pm
Jim Brunner By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times political reporter
Even before Gov. Jay Inslee expanded his COVID-19 vaccination order to K-12 and higher education employees on Wednesday, Washington’s vaccine mandate ranked among the most sweeping and strict in the nation.
Most governors who have imposed such mandates have built in wiggle room, allowing public employees and health care workers to undergo regular coronavirus tests if they choose not to get vaccinated.
Inslee’s orders offer no such slack. Employees at state agencies, schools and universities must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or face termination. Inoculations also will be a condition of employment for hundreds of thousands of people working in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
The U.S. remains polarized over vaccine mandates even amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations driven by the highly transmissible delta variant. Republican-led states have mostly avoided such orders — with some explicitly banning local mandates — while Democratic governors, like Inslee, have been more willing to impose them.
In all, 21 states and the District of Columbia have some form of COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to a tracker maintained by the national employment law firm Littler Mendelson. They vary in scope, with some aimed narrowly at nursing homes and other vulnerable health care settings, and others affecting all state employees.
Most of the states with vaccine mandates, unlike Washington, allow employees who do not qualify for religious or medical exemptions to submit to frequent testing in lieu of vaccination. And the scope of Inslee’s order is also broader than other states — applying even to state contractors.
Jeremy Wood, a Seattle-based attorney with Littler Mendelson, who has helped track policies across the country, said in an email, “Washington’s proclamation covers public contractors more broadly than others we’ve seen, requiring vaccination for all public contractors at state worksites, including those outside the health care sector.
“It also doesn’t allow testing in lieu of vaccination; we’re not aware of any other current statewide mandate that doesn’t permit regular testing instead of vaccination.”...
Washington’s COVID vaccine mandates ordered by Gov. Jay Inslee are among the strictest in the nation
Aug. 18, 2021 at 4:37 pm Updated Aug. 18, 2021 at 5:02 pm
Jim Brunner By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times political reporter
Even before Gov. Jay Inslee expanded his COVID-19 vaccination order to K-12 and higher education employees on Wednesday, Washington’s vaccine mandate ranked among the most sweeping and strict in the nation.
Most governors who have imposed such mandates have built in wiggle room, allowing public employees and health care workers to undergo regular coronavirus tests if they choose not to get vaccinated.
Inslee’s orders offer no such slack. Employees at state agencies, schools and universities must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or face termination. Inoculations also will be a condition of employment for hundreds of thousands of people working in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
The U.S. remains polarized over vaccine mandates even amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations driven by the highly transmissible delta variant. Republican-led states have mostly avoided such orders — with some explicitly banning local mandates — while Democratic governors, like Inslee, have been more willing to impose them.
In all, 21 states and the District of Columbia have some form of COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to a tracker maintained by the national employment law firm Littler Mendelson. They vary in scope, with some aimed narrowly at nursing homes and other vulnerable health care settings, and others affecting all state employees.
Most of the states with vaccine mandates, unlike Washington, allow employees who do not qualify for religious or medical exemptions to submit to frequent testing in lieu of vaccination. And the scope of Inslee’s order is also broader than other states — applying even to state contractors.
Jeremy Wood, a Seattle-based attorney with Littler Mendelson, who has helped track policies across the country, said in an email, “Washington’s proclamation covers public contractors more broadly than others we’ve seen, requiring vaccination for all public contractors at state worksites, including those outside the health care sector.
“It also doesn’t allow testing in lieu of vaccination; we’re not aware of any other current statewide mandate that doesn’t permit regular testing instead of vaccination.”...