SEATTLE — Gov. Jay Inslee said today he’ll require all state employees and contractors under his branch of government, as well as all Washingtonians working in healthcare, to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic by Oct. 18.
That would require all people employed by the state or working in private healthcare and long-term care facilities to receive their final vaccine shot by Oct. 4, to reach full protection against the virus by the deadline. Inslee said the requirement would be a condition of continuing employment.
“We do so to protect our vulnerable communities, to prevent further calamity to our state, and to once again be on the path to full recovery,” Inslee said in a Seattle news conference.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of rising COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in the state, about 85 percent of them brought on by the delta variant of the novel coronavirus. New infections were averaging about 1,700 cases per week as of last week, and more than 80 hospitalizations on average.
Just under 70 percent of people in Washington eligible to be vaccinated, ages 12 and up, have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Roughly 95 percent of current hospitalizations are among people who have not received one of the three available vaccines, and vaccinated individuals who do contract the virus generally experience more favorable health outcomes.
“Today, this is a disease of those who have not been vaccinated,” Inslee said.
Not all state employees fall under the requirement: Higher education workers, K-12 teachers and staff, legislative and judicial employees are not affected. The order directly applies to agencies managed by the Governor’s cabinet — Commerce, Transportation, Licensing, State Patrol, Military Department, Corrections and so on — and by extension to contractors working for those agencies. Dr. Umair Shah, the state’s Secretary of Health, said he expects the order to affect about half a million people.
King County Executive Dow Constantine said the largest county in the state will “mirror” the state policy, and negotiate with its employee unions to meet compliance, as did Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. Constantine called it a “sensible and necessary step.”
Shah said of unvaccinated people, “They are not just unvaccinated, they are unprotected, and they are one of the big reasons why our state is seeing a rise in cases. … The decision not to get vaccinated is now affecting others as well.”
“Those fellow citizens have a right to be protected,” Inslee said. “They have right to not be infected by those who are not vaccinated.”
Inslee’s vaccination requirement includes exemptions for those with “legitimate medical reasons or sincerely held religious reasons,” but there is no exemption based on personal or philosophical objection. Nor will employees be allowed to submit to regular COVID-19 testing in lieu of vaccination. Becoming fuly vaccinated, Inslee said, will now be a condition for further employment among state workers health workers: Employees who refuse to be vaccinated will be subject to dismissal for failing to meet legal job qualifications.
“We simply need more people to roll up their sleeves, literally, and help pull on this rope,” Inslee said.
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August 10, 2021 at 03:45AM
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