COVID Vaccine: Will Your Employer Make It Mandatory?

For all those concerned with Government mandating that people get a Bat Soup Virus vaccine, which really isn’t a conspiracy theory based on the actions of governments at home and around the world, well, stop worrying about government over-reach

As COVID-19 Vaccine Nears, Employers Consider Making It Mandatory

Just a few months into the coronavirus pandemic, Holly Smith had already made up her mind. She was not going to reopen her restaurant to diners until there was a vaccine. She just didn’t think it was safe. When she shared the decision with her staff, they asked: Would the vaccine be mandatory?

Yes, she said. It would be.

“I’m not going to open until I can indeed be sure that everyone on my staff is vaccinated,” says Smith, chef and owner of Cafe Juanita in Kirkland, Wash. “The immediate people on the team — you’ve got to take care of them. If you don’t take care of them, they cannot help you take care of business.”

With promising news from three COVID-19 vaccine trials showing 90% to 95% efficacy, employers are now weighing whether they should simply encourage their employees to get vaccinated or make it mandatory.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has stated that employers can legally impose a flu vaccine requirement on their workforce, but employees have the right to request medical or religious exemptions under federal anti-discrimination laws. Each claim must be evaluated on its own merits, a time-consuming process for employers.

In all fairness, Smith is the only business owner who specifically says she will mandate the vaccine, which she has every right to do. But, you can expect a lot of businesses to do the same, right, especially when you have

At Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, some 14,000 employees and students are required to get the annual flu vaccine, says Dr. James McDeavitt, dean of clinical affairs. About 90% actually do, with 10% claiming exemptions, most of them medical, according to his analysis.

Those types of businesses are certainly a small minority. Will those who mandate a COVID vaccine become a majority, deeming it a term of employment? You cannot go to school without certain vaccinations.

“The employer is truly in a no-win situation from a risk standpoint,” he says. Those who decide to mandate the vaccine will need protection against someone having an adverse reaction, even if the employee has signed a waiver upon receiving the shot, he says. Conversely, companies that decide against a mandate will need protection if someone does contract the virus in the workplace and sues.

The question becomes “how many refuse to take the vaccine simply because they do not want to for Reasons other than real medical and religious?” If it works, I’d be fine with taking it. On one hand, the mask allows me to hide certain facial expressions from customers. On the other, it is hard to do, as we say “make a friend and ask for the sale” when faces cannot be seen and it is hard to hear people. I still won’t shake hands anymore, no fist bumps, and it would be great letting customers do test drives on their own, that last being a good offset to not being able to bond.

A recent Gallup poll found that 42% of Americans say they will not get the COVID-19 vaccine, though the poll was conducted before the recent optimistic vaccine results.

It is Republicans and Independents who really bring that percent down. If Trump cannot overcome the cheat, one of the things he really should do would be to get with China Joe and both of them ask Americans to get the vaccine. Trump has always been pro-vaccine, so, this wouldn’t be a stretch.