The rise in coronavirus cases in the United States is giving the administration a lot to worry about. As the whole country is getting united once again to fight against COVID-19, the people at the workplaces have now been asked to get vaccinated by their employers, failing which, they might lose their jobs. Workplaces need to be safe as lots of lives are involved. As a result, the managers are leaving no stone unturned in imposing strict vaccine policies, that is – No Jab, No Job. It has been agreed that vaccination is the first and foremost way to keep the spreading of coronavirus at bay and defeat the pandemic. Plus, vaccination is mandatory if people don’t want stringent health measures to return.
Recent Statistics
If the recent reports are taken into account, approximately 53% of the American population have got the jab which places the United States behind countries like Spain, Germany, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and China. That’s of course a reason to worry.
As of the 22nd of July, the weekly average number of vaccine doses administered in the country was 291,565. That’s 35.2% less than the previous week. This data has been released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In comparison to the present statistics, over 3 million people were taking vaccine shots in April.
Complex Rules
In May 2021, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission took out guidance that stated that federal laws do not inhibit a private or public employer from asking their employees to get vaccinated before joining the workplace physically, as long as the policy is not against disabilities laws and civil rights.
However, some states have been supporting the employees on matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, Greg Gianforte, the governor of Montana signed a bill. According to that bill, an employer is prohibited to force an employee to reveal their vaccination status. Limitations have been imposed on the contact-tracing technology by the administrations of Oregon and Hawaii. As a result, the employers wouldn’t be able to track the whereabouts of an employee.
The state of Georgia has issued an executive order that prohibits the employers in the state from setting different rules for workers based on the status of their vaccination. For private industries, things are not the same. For example, United Airlines is gearing up to rake in profits in the third quarter.
It plans to capitalize on the upcoming period as traveling is slowly inching towards a rebound. Therefore, it has asked the new hires to furnish proof of vaccination. There are certain shows on Broadway that have made it mandatory for the cast and crew to get vaccinated. Aside from these, more or less 600 colleges are asking for immunization status from the students and the staff as well.
Hospitals are Leading the Trends
As per the American Hospital Association in Chicago, 433 hospitals across the United States have issued mandates. Recently, the United States Department of Veteran Affairs has become the first agency at federal levels to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory. Every physician, optometrist, dentist, podiatrist, chiropractors, nurse, and all those who work in veterans’ facilities or visit them, need to take the shots within two months.
California has asked all state employees to furnish their vaccination reports or wear masks at the office and undergo COVID-19 tests at least once every week. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California has issued a deadline for the public employees within which they would have to report their inoculation status. On failing to do so, a penalty of perjury will be imposed.
What’s the Status of New York?
Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City is not far behind. All the 300,000 people at the municipal corporation have been asked to take the jab. If someone resists, they will be dismissed without pay. As per the 24th of July, 2021, a weekly average of 837 new cases have been reported in New York City.
It’s more than double the average number of cases till 11th July. The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo says that things are getting serious with the spread of the Delta variant. He insists that long strides need to be taken to counter COVID-19. Otherwise, things will get out of hand within no time.
What will be the people’s reaction to the mandate? Are they ready to co-operate with the administration at the federal and state levels? Only time will tell. Till then, the fight against COVID-19 will continue.