Thank you to Governor Inselee.
We may get to herd immunity if more states and especially businesses, companies, government organizations, and so on MANDATE vaccines and masks.
Come on, people. FREEDOM does not mean putting others at risk. We need sacrifice, and in this case, it's really not much of a sacrifice compared to what people did during World War Two.
I am proud to live in this state.
https://medium.com/@GovInslee/inslee-announces-educator-vaccination-requirement-and-statewide-indoor-mask-mandate-a2f5a47d8a31
Inslee announces educator vaccination requirement and statewide indoor mask mandate
Education vaccine mandate does not impact students
Gov. Jay Inslee today announced a vaccination requirement for employees working in K-12, most childcare and early learning, and higher education, as well as an expansion of the statewide mask mandate to all individuals, regardless of vaccination status. The governor was joined for the announcement by Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah.
Educator vaccine requirement
K -12 educators, school staff, coaches, bus drivers, school volunteers and others working in school facilities will have until October 18 to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment. The requirement includes public, private and charter schools, and comes as schools across the state prepare to return for the 2021–2022 school year amid rapidly increasing case and hospitalization numbers. This does not impact students, regardless of age.
“It has been a long pandemic, and our students and teachers have borne their own unique burdens throughout,” Inslee said. “This virus is increasingly impacting young people, and those under the age of 12 still can’t get the vaccine for themselves. We won’t gamble with the health of our children, our educators and school staff, nor the health of the communities they serve.”
“As our school buildings reopen this fall for in-person learning, vaccination of our school employees will be a key mitigation measure to protect the health and safety of our students, staff, and families,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal. “Our ability to maintain continued in-person learning without major COVID-related disruptions will depend on low virus transmission within our schools. I appreciate the governor’s leadership in taking this important step in the fight against the spread of this virus.”
As with state employees and private healthcare workers, there will be no test out option. Unions may bargain with school districts to negotiate time off to receive the vaccine or recover from symptoms of the vaccine. Just like the state worker mandate, there are limited exceptions under law which employees may apply for, including legitimate medical reasons and sincerely held religious beliefs. Individuals who refuse to get vaccinated will be subject to dismissal.
Higher education and childcare/early learning
Inslee also announced a vaccine requirement for employees in Washington’s higher education institutions, as well as for most childcare and early learning providers who serve children from multiple households.
Education staff, faculty and contractors are required to be fully vaccinated by October 18, consistent with the state worker vaccination requirement timeline.
Childcare providers affected by the requirement include the following groups
- Licensed, certified and contracted early learning and childcare programs
- License-exempt early learning, childcare and youth-development programs
- Contractors (coaches, volunteers, trainers, etc.)
Not included in this mandate are providers delivering FFN (family, friends and neighbors) care.
Statewide mask mandate
The governor also announced that the existing statewide mask mandate will be expanded to once again include vaccinated individuals in indoor settings effective Monday, August 23.
The expansion comes after Washington recently broke the previous record for COVID hospitalizations set in December. Every county in the state currently falls within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) substantial or high transmission, and each of the state’s 35 local health officers recently recommended all individuals wear masks indoors.
“In Washington we continue to see an increase of cases, hospitalizations,” said Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, Secretary of Health. “Vaccines are safe and effective, but they take time to work. As our vaccination efforts continue, we are asking the public to take additional protections to help slow the spread of COVID in communities. Wearing a mask helps to protect yourself and each other.”
The mask mandate will apply to most all public places across the state, including restaurants, grocery stores, malls and public-facing offices, regardless of vaccination status.
There will be limited exceptions when face coverings won’t be required, such as office spaces not easily accessible to the public where individuals are vaccinated, and when working alone indoors or in a vehicle with no public face-to-face interaction. Small, private indoor gatherings where all attendees are vaccinated are also exempt.
“We have seen over the last year how widespread masking also saves lives by reducing infection,” Inslee said. “I know this will frustrate some vaccinated folks who thought they wouldn’t have to do this anymore. There are not enough people vaccinated. The result is the explosive growth of a much more infectious strain, the Delta variant, and its increasingly concerns impacts on people of all ages.”
While not required, the Department of Health strongly recommends individuals also wear masks in crowded outdoor settings, such as outdoor concerts, fairs and farmers markets.
Resources:
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/08/18/washington-requires-covid-19-vaccination-for-teachers-staff/
Washington expands mask mandate, requires COVID vaccination for teachers, staff
Gov. Jay Inslee says all public, charter and private school teachers and staff must be fully vaccinated or else risk losing their jobs
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks at a news conference, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Inslee announced that Washington state is expanding its vaccine mandate to include all public, charter and private school teachers and staff, as well as those working at the state's colleges and universities. Inslee also expanded the statewide indoor mask mandate in place for non-vaccinated individuals to include those who are vaccinated.
Ted S. Warren / AP
Amid a spike in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, Washington state is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine mandate to include all public, charter and private school teachers and staff — plus those working at the state’s colleges and universities.
There is no weekly testing alternative, and those who are not fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 risk losing their jobs, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday. Full vaccination means two weeks after a final dose, meaning workers need the final dose of either Pfizer or Moderna, or the one-shot dose of Johnson & Johnson by Oct. 4.
Just like a vaccine mandate announced last week that applies to most state workers, private health care and long-term care employees, the only opt-out is a medical or religious exemption. The education mandate includes all staff, including bus drivers and volunteers.
By not allowing a testing option, Inslee’s mandate appears to be the most sweeping of actions taken by any other state. Last week, California announced a similar mandate that covers both public and private schools, but allows testing instead of vaccination. Earlier this month, Hawaii required all Department of Education staffers to disclose their vaccination status or face weekly testing.
“We cannot continue to gamble with the health of our children, our educators, our school staff, parents or the public,” Inslee said.
The Democratic governor on Wednesday also expanded the statewide indoor mask mandate in place for non-vaccinated individuals to include those who are vaccinated, starting Monday.
Inslee’s office said the latest mandate also applies to college coaches, including Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich, who said he has declined to be vaccinated for personal reasons. Rolovich is one of two state employees scheduled to make more than $3 million this year along with Washington football coach Jimmy Lake.
In a statmeent, WSU Athletics didn't directly address the issue of Rolovich but said “we will work to ensure the mandates in the Governor’s Proclamation are followed.”
Officials with the Washington Education Association, a union representing public school employees, issued a statement after the announcement saying that educators “look forward to welcoming our students back in person this fall but to make that sustainable we must do everything we can to reduce the possibility of COVID transmission in our schools.”
“By vaccinating staff we reduce the possibility of infecting those who cannot be vaccinated, including our students under 12 years old,” wrote WEA President Larry Delaney.
The vaccine mandate does not apply to students, though K-12 students and staff are required to wear masks when the school year starts next month.
Washington's vaccine mandate also applies to most childcare and early learning providers who care for children from multiple households. Tribal schools are not included, though Inslee strongly encouraged them to follow suit.
An estimated 363,000 employees are covered under the mandate, though it's unclear how many within that group are already vaccinated. Of the 155,000 educators, school leaders and staff covered, Schools Superintendent Chris Reykdal said he believes about 70% of that group is already vaccinated.
“Our goal is to get them all vaccinated,” he said.
Inslee's press conference was originally set to be held at an Olympia elementary school, but was moved to the governor’s conference room due to security concerns after an anti-mandate group planned to protest at the school. Last Friday, more than 300 people gathered at the Capitol to protest the state worker and health care vaccine mandates.
Before Wednesday's news conference, several dozen protesters gathered near the legislative building to demonstrate both the vaccine and mask mandates, carrying signs that read “No Jab" and “Unmask our kids.” At one point during Inslee's remarks, protesters could be heard in the rotunda shouting, “We do not consent."
Republican Rep. Alex Ybarra said in a statement that it is “wrong for the governor to force caring, experienced, and dedicated educators to get a vaccination or have their jobs, livelihoods, and dreams ripped away from them.”
“It was my choice to get vaccinated,” he wrote. “That’s the way it should be — a personal health care choice. It should not be a requirement for employment.”
As for the expanded indoor mask mandate, some areas had already imposed directives in their areas, and the state’s local health officers have recently recommended the wearing of masks indoors. The statewide mask mandate builds on the recommendation that Inslee made last month to follow federal guidance and “recommend” that everyone regardless of vaccination status wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas where there is “substantial or high” rates of COVID-19.
As of Monday, all of the state's 39 counties were in the "high" threshold range, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There have been more than 471,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases — plus more than 49,000 “probable” cases — in Washington state, and 6,297 deaths. State health officials say that most of the state’s new infections are caused by the delta variant, a more contagious version of the coronavirus.
“We have a serious situation right now,” said Department of Health Secretary Umair Shah. “This delta variant is a game changer.”
As of last week, nearly 71.5% of people age 12 and older have initiated vaccination and about 63% are fully vaccinated.
___
AP photographer Ted Warren and AP sportswriter Tim Booth contributed.
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2108.26 - 10:10
- Days ago = 2246 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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