Governor Charlie Baker’s controversial COVID-19 vaccination requirement, which affects about 44,000 state workers in Massachusetts, went into effect on Sunday, October 17, with the vast majority of staff complying with its executive order.
Baker announced his tenure in mid-August, requiring all Executive Department employees to be fully vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna two-shot regimen or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine by October 17.
Unvaccinated employees, including those not approved for medical or religious exemptions, could be fired for noncompliance, the Baker administration said. As of Friday, thousands of workers were on the brink of disciplinary action.
“I believe that, in many ways, the debate and discussion on mandates is a perfectly legitimate debate,” Baker said last month. “But I look at the data that I see out there, and it is very clear to me that the quickest way back to normality, the quickest way back to the life that everyone wants, which is the one they had before the pandemic started. , is to get more and more people vaccinated and continue to build on the success we have had here in the Commonwealth. “
It’s too early to gauge exactly how many state government workers could face firing on Baker’s orders, and what reverberating disruptions it could have in everyday life in Massachusetts.
However, bracing for a staff shortage at the state Department of Correction, Baker said Tuesday, Oct. 12, that he will activate up to 250 Massachusetts National Guard personnel, he told MassLive.
Who falls under Baker’s vaccination mandate?
The governor’s mandate applies to all employees of the Executive Department, including full-time, part-time, seasonal and temporary workers. State-contracted employees and interns must also get vaccinated, according to Baker’s executive order.
Executive offices include Administration and Finance, Education, Energy and Environmental Affairs, Health and Human Services, Housing and Economic Development, Labor and Workforce Development, Public Safety and Security, Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and Technology Services and Safety.
What if I work from home?
Employees who work from home still need to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the state Human Resources office.
What about unvaccinated employees?
Managers will be suspended without pay for five days. They could be fired for “continued noncompliance,” according to the state human resources office.
Unionized employees will first be suspended without pay for five days. That is followed by a 10-day suspension without pay and ultimately termination, if employees still forgo vaccines, according to the state.
Government workers who are laid off by the vaccination mandate will likely not be eligible to collect unemployment benefits, the state has warned.
The second week of the month in Boston, more than 800 city government employees were suspended without pay for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate there.
What is the latest vaccination rate?
In a memo sent to Executive Department employees Thursday, Oct. 14, Massachusetts Under Secretary and Director of Human Resources Jeff McCue said more than 40,000 Massachusetts state government workers have already been vaccinated or applied for an exemption.
The count so far means that about 9% of those workers are at risk of losing their jobs.
If employees received the Moderna vaccine, they were required to receive their first dose by Sept. 19 to meet the Oct. 17 deadline. For the Pfizer vaccine, they needed their first injection by Sept. 26, according to the state Human Resources office.
Are exemptions allowed?
Baker’s order describes that “a reasonable accommodation can be achieved for any employee who is unable to receive the COVID-19 vaccine due to a medical disability or who is unwilling to receive the COVID-19 vaccine due to sincere religious belief.”
The religious exemption request form asked employees to describe how their religious principles conflict with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The form, which is posted on the state’s website, notes that more documentation may be needed.
“The [estado] you may need to discuss the nature of your religious beliefs, practices or accommodation with your religious spiritual leader (if applicable) or religious scholars to fulfill your waiver request, ”the form says.
Meanwhile, employees seeking medical exemptions must “verify and document why the vaccine is contraindicated for medical reasons, meaning that administration of the COVID-19 vaccine would likely be detrimental to their health,” according to the form published in the government website.
What about vaccines for the House of Representatives and the Senate?
Another vaccine mandate has already taken effect in Beacon Hill: All state senators and state Senate employees faced a deadline Friday to get vaccinated. The office of Senator President Karen Spilka said full immunization statistics will not be available until the penultimate week of the month.
Unvaccinated Senate employees could be fired, although elected officials cannot be fired.
A separate mandate for the state House of Representatives will take effect in early November.
Translated by Damaris Pérez-Pizarro | The Latino People
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