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LA Begins Enforcing Strict Mandate Requiring Proof of Vax + More
LA Begins Enforcing Strict Mandate Requiring Proof of Vax
Enforcement began Monday in Los Angeles for one of the strictest vaccine mandates in the country, a sweeping measure that requires proof of shots for everyone entering a wide variety of businesses from restaurants to theaters and gyms to nail and hair salons.
A first offense will bring a warning but subsequent ones could produce fines running from $1,000 to $5,000. Inspectors with the Department of Building and Safety will enforce the mandate, and the city hopes to eventually get assistance from the LA County Department of Public Health, Tso said.
NYC Corrections Officers to Work 12-Hour Shifts as 24% Unvaccinated Before Deadline
Employees of the New York City Department of Corrections (DOC) are moving to 12-hour shifts ahead of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate deadline on Tuesday.
The mandate for DOC personnel is 5 p.m. Tuesday on an executive order signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The DOC announced longer shifts are a move to ensure there will be enough staff available.
The vaccination rate for the department was 76% as of Monday, meaning around 2,000 workers have yet to comply with the mandate.
Supreme Court Shuts Down Request to Let Massachusetts Hospital Staff Sidestep Vaccine Mandate
The Supreme Court on Monday blocked a request to let staff at a Massachusetts hospital sidestep a vaccine mandate for religious reasons.
Eight former and current employees at Mass General Brigham filed the request last week with Justice Stephen Breyer, who oversees the circuit where the request was filed, according to court documents reviewed by Insider.
Breyer denied the request with a one-line summary.
Massachusetts Governor Mulling Vaccine Passports for Residents
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) is floating the idea of implementing vaccine passport requirements for residents soon.
During an appearance on GBH News Boston Public Radio, Baker said he and officials from other states have been working to create a QR code that would be scanned to show a person’s vaccination status.
“It’s a universal standard and we’ve been working with a bunch of other states, there’s probably 15 or 20 of them, to try to create a single QR code that can be used for all sorts of things where people may choose to require a vaccine,” Baker said.
City Declares Independence From California in Vaccine Protest
A city in northern California has made a symbolic gesture of defiance against the state’s COVID mandates by declaring itself a “constitutional republic.”
The city council in Oroville voted 6-1 in a declaration aimed at showing its opposition to measures aimed at mitigating the pandemic, such as requirements that schoolchildren be vaccinated.
Leaders in the city of about 20,000 people about 70 miles south of state capital Sacramento, said the designation was a way to stand up against state rules it did not agree with, although the move is unlikely to have any legal standing.
International Travelers Stranded, Angry in Omicron’s Wake: ‘The First Thing I Did Was Cry’
Various governments scramble to place restrictions on travel, closing their borders to southern African countries amid concern about the potentially dangerous variant, dubbed Omicron. Those rule changes are already having ripple effects for travelers as the holiday season gets underway.
Travelers have been left stuck abroad, desperately trying to get home amid a slew of cancellations, while others are scratching plans to see loved ones in other countries — for many the latest in a series of pandemic-induced travel frustrations, coming only weeks after the United States lifted its ban on visitors from 33 countries.
‘This Wasn’t in the Job Description’ HR Departments Are Navigating Confusing COVID Religious Exemption Requests
As businesses across the country start imposing strict COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirements, some employees are claiming religious exemptions to avoid getting vaccinated — putting human resources departments on the frontlines of a fraught political issue that has already proven fertile ground for lawsuits.
The task before HR leaders is tricky: they have to figure out whether employees are applying for an exemption based on authentic religious beliefs or whether it’s a cover for their political views.
What employers assess is not so much whether perceived leaders of an organized religion endorse vaccines but whether an individual’s religious belief is authentic and informs other aspects of their life beyond getting out of a COVID-19 vaccination.
Australian Army Begins Transferring COVID-Positive Cases, Contacts to Quarantine Camps
The Australian army has begun forcibly removing residents in the Northern Territories to the Howard Springs quarantine camp located in Darwin, after nine new COVID-19 cases were identified in the community of Binjari. The move comes after hard lockdowns were instituted in the communities of both Binjari and nearby Rockhole on Saturday night.
“Residents of Binjari and Rockhole no longer have the five reasons to leave their homes,” said Northern Territory chief minister, Michael Gunner, referring to the country’s five allowable reasons to avoid lockdown (buying food and supplies, exercising for up to two hours, care or caregiving, work or education if it can’t be done from home, and to get vaccinated at the nearest possible location).
Of note, the Northern Territories are home to a large percentage of indigenous Australians.
Defense Secretary Warns Oklahoma’s GOP Governor That Troops Who Don’t Get COVID Vaccine Are Putting Their Careers in Jeopardy
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin denied a request from Oklahoma’s governor to exempt the state’s National Guard troops from the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate.
In a letter sent to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday, Austin did not specify how the mandate would be enforced but said that failure to comply with the vaccine mandate may “jeopardize” troops’ status in the National Guard.
Stitt, a Republican, made the request in early November for Austin to exempt Oklahoma Guardsmen from the vaccine mandate.
Greece Will Impose Monthly ‘Health Fee’ to Unvaccinated Adults Over 60 as Cases Surge
On Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the country would make COVID-19 vaccinations for all citizens of Greece who are over 60 years of age mandatory. In addition, he said those who refuse to get vaccinated will have to pay a monthly fine of 100 euros (approximately $114).
“It is not a punishment,” Mitsotakis said of the fine. “I would say it is a health fee.”
“The new Omicron variant is a concern for us and means we must be vigilant,” he added.
COVID: As Rules on Mask Wearing in England Return, What Exactly Is the Law?
As part of targeted measures to prevent the spread of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, from 4 a.m. on 30 November, people in England will be required by law to wear a face covering in certain places.
The measure will be introduced as a precaution while more information is gathered and assessed on the variant’s transmissibility and any possible effect on COVID-19 vaccines, Downing Street said.
Face coverings are compulsory in shops and settings such as banks, post offices and hairdressers, as well as on public transport, unless individuals are exempt.
You’re Not Paranoid to Cover Your Webcam. But the Cameras You Can’t Cover Are Scarier.
“Everybody tells you, ‘Cover your webcam — people could be watching you.’ But I’m thinking to myself, like, why would somebody want to watch me?” said John Goncalves, a 19-year-old student on a gap year in Toronto.
But that doesn’t mean the camera on your device isn’t a potential vector for spying. Hackers can worm their way into outdated operating systems or compromise the apps you’ve granted camera access.
Twitter Prohibits Sharing of Personal Photos, Videos Without Consent
Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) said on Tuesday it will not allow sharing of personal media such as photos and videos on its platform without the consent of the person.
The social media company’s privacy policy already prohibits sharing of other people’s private information such as phone numbers, addresses and IDs.
Cell-Based Living Robots Can Reproduce Themselves
It might soon be easy to build living robots — because they’ll build themselves. New Scientist reports Harvard University, Tufts University and University of Vermont researchers have learned that their frog cell-based Xenobots can self-reproduce.
The custom organisms can collect “hundreds” of individual cells in their dishes to spontaneously assemble baby bots that grow up within a few days.
Yes, the researchers are aware of the technical and ethical problems with robots that copy themselves without prompting. The team’s goal is to understand the self-reproduction and learn how to “control it, direct it, douse it, exaggerate it,” according to project co-leader Joshua Bongard.
Biden Vaccine Rule for Health Workers Blocked in 10 States + More
Biden Vaccine Rule for Health Workers Blocked in 10 States
A federal judge on Monday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate on thousands of healthcare workers in 10 states that had brought the first legal challenge against the requirement.
The court order said that the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid had no clear authority from Congress to enact the vaccine mandate for providers participating in the two government healthcare programs for the elderly, disabled and poor.
United States Will Bar Travelers From 8 Countries in Southern Africa
President Biden will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other African countries to try to contain a troubling new variant of the coronavirus, senior administration officials said on Friday, though they said it would be impossible to prevent it from entering the United States.
Starting on Monday, the administration will prohibit travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi from coming to the United States, the officials said.
The travel ban will not apply to American citizens or lawful permanent residents, officials said. But they will need to show a negative coronavirus test before coming to the United States.
Court Temporarily Halts San Diego Unified’s Student COVID Vaccine Mandate
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported:
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Sunday temporarily blocked San Diego Unified’s student COVID-19 vaccine mandate from going into effect — one day before the school district’s deadline for students to get their first dose.
The court sided with a 16-year-old junior at Scripps Ranch High School who had sued last month saying San Diego Unified’s vaccine mandate violated her religious beliefs.
The Ninth Circuit’s decision Sunday came 11 days after a federal judge in San Diego denied the student’s request for a restraining order against the district’s mandate.
NYC Reinstitutes COVID Mask Advisory ‘at All Times’ Indoors Regardless of Vaccination Status
New York City on Monday issued an advisory strongly recommending that everyone wear masks indoors at all times regardless of vaccination status, amid concern about the new, highly mutated strain of COVID named Omicron.
Dr. David Chokshi, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said it will probably be a matter of days before Omicron is detected in New York City.
He said the city has a strong surveillance system that can rapidly identify Omicron when it arrives.
Court Blocks COVID Vaccine Mandate for California Prisons
A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily blocked an order that all California prison workers must be vaccinated against the coronavirus or have a religious or medical exemption.
A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request for a stay of September’s lower court order pending an appeal. It also sped up the hearing process by setting a Dec. 13 deadline for opening briefs.
The vaccination mandate was supposed to have taken effect by Jan. 12 but the appellate court stay blocks enforcement until sometime in March, when the appeal hearing will be scheduled.
Some Hospitals Prepare to Lose Staff Over COVID Vaccination Mandate
The Wall Street Journal reported:
Some hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare providers are preparing to operate without up to a third of their staff at the start of next year, if those workers don’t comply with a federal mandate to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Biden administration is requiring facilities that receive funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to have workers vaccinated by Jan. 4.
Two dozen states are challenging the requirement in court.
WHO Warns That New Virus Variant Poses ‘Very High’ Risk
The World Health Organization warned Monday that the global risk from the Omicron variant is “very high” based on the early evidence, saying the mutated coronavirus could lead to surges with “severe consequences.”
It came as a widening circle of countries around the world reported cases of the variant and moved to slam their doors shut while scientists race to figure out just how dangerous it might be.
Japan announced it would bar entry of all foreign visitors, joining Israel in doing so. Morocco banned all incoming flights. Other countries, including the U.S. and members of the European Union, have moved to prohibit travelers arriving from southern Africa.
UK Tightens COVID Restrictions Following Omicron Variant Infections
The United Kingdom (U.K.) is tightening COVID-19 restrictions after two Omicron variant cases were found in the country on Saturday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during a press conference Saturday that the new restrictions will last for three weeks while scientists learn about how quickly the new variant can spread and if the vaccine is effective against it, CBS News reported.
The “targeted and precautionary measures” include mandating that people wear masks on public transportation and in stores. Those traveling internationally also must get a COVID-19 PCR test the second day after entering the U.K. and quarantine until the test comes back negative, according to Johnson.
Lara Logan Says Coronavirus Is Inside Our Bones in Speech Viewed 500k Times
Lara Logan attacked President Biden‘s COVID-19 strategy and said hundreds of coronaviruses could be found in our bones in an impassioned speech that has since gone viral on social media.
While speaking on the Fox News show Justice with Judge Jeanine, the Fox Nation host also warned the U.S could be locked down “for the rest of our existence.”
Also on the show was Fox News contributor Dr. Marc Siegel who criticized Joe Biden‘s lack of testing. A clip of the interview has begun to go viral with it being viewed over 500,000 times. The entire interview can be viewed here.
4 GOP-Controlled States Are Changing Their Unemployment Laws to Allow Those Defying COVID Vaccine Mandates to Get Benefits
Republican-controlled legislatures in four states are changing their unemployment laws so that people who have been fired or quit their jobs over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate can claim unemployment benefits.
The Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Tennessee state legislatures all changed their unemployment insurance rules in recent weeks to allow those refusing to comply with vaccine mandates to claim benefits.
D.C. Area School Systems Discipline Employees Who Flout Coronavirus Vaccination Requirements
School systems in the Washington region are beginning to take disciplinary action against employees who have missed their deadlines to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, with some workers already placed on leave and at least one person fired.
But at the same time, some have suspended vaccination mandates amid concerns about staffing shortages or testing programs, and as young learners, ages 5 to 11, are getting their shots.
Over 2,000 People Protest Against COVID Measures in Prague — Reports
More than 2,000 people took to the streets in the Czech capital on Sunday, protesting against fresh coronavirus restrictions, Czech TV reports.
The demonstrators, mostly young people under the age of 30, were not wearing face masks and were calling on the Czech government to lift the bans on mass gatherings, cancel limited hours for bars and night clubs and allow unvaccinated people to participate in cultural and sports events.
Dutch Police Say They’ve Arrested Couple Who Were Trying to Flee COVID Quarantine
Dutch border police have said they’ve arrested and detained a couple who left a coronavirus quarantine hotel and were trying to leave the country.
The couple, a man from Spain and a woman from Portugal according to Dutch media reports, had been asked to quarantine after one of them tested positive for COVID on arrival in the Netherlands on a flight from South Africa.
The CEO of Cosmetics Retailer Lush Says He’s ‘Happy to Lose’ $13 Million by Deleting Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat Accounts Over Teen Mental-Health Harms
Cosmetics company Lush shut down its Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat accounts globally on Friday, citing its concern about the harms of social media in the wake of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen’s revelations.
“In the same way that evidence against climate change was ignored and belittled for decades, concerns about the serious effects of social media are going largely ignored now,” the company said in its press release earlier this week.
What Facebook Will Look Like in 2035
The predictions of Facebook’s demise might be a bit premature.
The truth is that this social network will evolve over the next 15 years into something we barely recognize today.
One of the most prominent companies in Big Tech isn’t going to slide into oblivion anytime soon, with around 3 billion users and a parent company (now called Meta) with vast cash reserves.
Battle for the Soul of a New Web
A well-funded and intensely motivated chunk of tech‘s hive mind is finding common cause in a vast new project: rebuilding the web on a foundation of cryptocurrency and blockchain tech. They call it “Web3.”
Developers, investors and early adopters imagine a future in which the technologies that enable Bitcoin and Ethereum will break up the concentrated power today’s tech giants wield and usher in a golden age of individual empowerment and entrepreneurial freedom.
Reith Lectures: Artificial Intelligence and Why People Should Be Scared
Prof Stuart Russell, founder of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence, at the University of California, Berkeley, is giving this year’s Reith Lectures.
His four lectures, Living With Artificial Intelligence, address the existential threat from machines more powerful than humans — and offer a way forward.
Several Hundred Google Employees Sign Manifesto Against Widened COVID Vaccine Mandate + More
Several Hundred Google Employees Sign Manifesto Against Widened COVID Vaccine Mandate
The manifesto within Google, which has been signed by at least 600 Google employees, asks company leaders to retract the vaccine mandate and create a new one that is “inclusive of all Googlers,” arguing leadership’s decision will have outsize influence in corporate America.
It also calls on employees to “oppose the mandate as a matter of principle” and tells employees to not let the policy alter their decision if they’ve already chosen not to get the COVID vaccine.
Italy Targets Unvaccinated With Restrictions as Cases Rise
The Italian government on Wednesday decided to exclude unvaccinated people from certain activities in a bid to contain rising coronavirus infections and stave off financially crippling lockdowns just as the economy is starting to grow again.
A new government decree also made vaccinations mandatory for law enforcement, military and all school employees. Previously, vaccines were only required for healthcare workers and teachers.
Non-vaccinated people, for example, won’t be able to go to the movies or theater or eat indoors from Dec. 6-Jan. 15, or beyond that date in regions where infection and hospital rates are rising. The aim is to keep restaurants and other indoor activities open, but just to people who are vaccinated or have immunity from having had COVID-19.
Biden Administration Seeks to Reinstate Workplace COVID Vaccine Rule
The Biden administration asked a federal appeals court on Tuesday to lift a court-ordered stay on a sweeping workplace COVID-19 vaccine rule to avoid serious harm to public health, or alternatively to allow a masking-and-testing requirement.
The White House asked for the rule to be reinstated immediately, but the court set a briefing schedule that runs through Dec. 10.
After the stay was imposed, lawsuits from across the country were transferred to the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati. read more
Shortage of Vaccinated Nurses Prompts Closure of ER on Long Island
Mount Sinai’s Long Beach Emergency Department temporarily closed its doors on Monday because of a nurse staffing shortage as a result of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, the hospital said.
Healthcare workers who were working on a temporary religious exemption and did not show proof of vaccination by Monday were suspended.
U.S. to Require Vaccines for All Border Crossers in January
President Joe Biden will require essential, nonresident travelers crossing U.S. land borders, such as truck drivers, government and emergency response officials, to be fully vaccinated beginning on Jan. 22, the administration planned to announce.
The rules pertain to non-U.S. nationals. American citizens and permanent residents may still enter the U.S. regardless of their vaccination status, but face additional testing hurdles because officials believe they more easily contract and spread COVID-19 and in order to encourage them to get a shot.
NYC Mayor De Blasio Urges Gov. Hochul to Mandate COVID Vaccine for MTA Workers: ‘It’s Time to Do It’
Mayor de Blasio urged Governor Hochul on Tuesday to mandate coronavirus shots for MTA employees as nearly one-third of the transit agency’s workforce remains unvaccinated despite signs that infections are ticking back up statewide.
The vaccination rate was, as of last week, just 69.5% for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which has allowed its workers to submit to weekly tests as an alternative to getting immunized.
Austria’s Plan to Make COVID Vaccines Compulsory Is Dividing Citizens — and Experts
Grappling with Europe’s punishing fourth wave of COVID-19, Austria’s government took bold steps to combat the spread of the disease on Friday — not merely sending the country back into lockdown for three weeks, but also announcing the first national COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the western world.
Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg says the mandate, due to enter into force on Feb. 1, is needed to boost a stagnant vaccination campaign.
But the plan drew instant outrage. Some 40,000 people protested the governments’ new measures in Vienna on Saturday, joining a spate of marches across western European cities against recently reimposed COVID containment measures.
Entertainment Industry Pushes Back Against COVID Vaccine Mandates
An actor from ABC‘s General Hospital left the show Tuesday after not complying with the production’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
“Unfortunately, General Hospital has let me go because of the vaccine mandate,” actor Steve Burton posted on Instagram.
This represents the latest in a string of pushbacks from a minority in the entertainment industry who are going against Hollywood’s COVID mandates.
Kansas Financially Protecting Workers Who Refuse COVID Shots
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Tuesday brushed aside complaints from fellow Democrats about signing a Republican measure aimed at financially protecting workers who refuse to get COVID-19 vaccines by declaring, “leadership means seeking compromise.”
Kelly acted with unusual speed, signing the bill the afternoon after its passage by the GOP-controlled Legislature just before midnight Monday during a one-day special session.
Kansas is making it easy for workers to claim religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine requirements and promising unemployment benefits to people who are fired after refusing the shots.
Apple Sues Israeli Spyware Group NSO
Apple is suing NSO Group Technologies, the Israeli military-grade spyware manufacturer that created surveillance software used to target the mobile phones of journalists, political dissidents and human rights activists, to block it from using Apple products.
The iPhone maker’s lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in federal court in California, alleged that NSO, the largest known Israeli cyber warfare company, had spied on and targeted Apple users. It is seeking damages as well as an order stopping NSO from using any Apple software, device or services.
Detroit Automakers Ask Union Workers to Submit COVID Vaccination Status
The Detroit automakers are asking their roughly 153,000 plant employees represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) to voluntarily submit their COVID-19 vaccination status.
The voluntary submission process is a step below Ford and GM requiring non-union salaried employees to submit their vaccination status.
The UAW has encouraged members to get vaccinated, but it has not been supportive of making vaccines mandatory for workers.
Judge in Florida Lawsuit Won’t Delay COVID Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers
A federal judge has rejected Florida’s request to immediately block a Biden administration requirement that workers at hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare providers be vaccinated against COVID-19.
U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers issued an order Saturday denying a motion by Attorney General Ashley Moody for a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order against the federal rule.
Moody’s office filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the rule and seeking the delay before the vaccination requirement takes effect Dec. 6.
Missouri Judge Says COVID Public Health Orders Illegal and Must Be Lifted
St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported:
In a case involving a St. Louis County restaurant owner, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green said all health orders related to the spread of COVID-19 in the state should be lifted because they violate the state constitution’s separation of powers clause affecting the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.
The lawsuit, filed in 2020 amid controversial shutdowns in St. Louis, challenged whether regulations issued by state health officials unconstitutionally authorized local medical directors to issue rules, such as quarantines and business closures to address concerns about the spread of the deadly disease.
Austria Braces for Protests After Announcing Full Lockdown and Vaccine Mandate + More
Austria Braces for Protests After Announcing Full Lockdown and Vaccine Mandate
Thousands plan to descend on Vienna on Saturday to protest Austria’s latest COVID-19 measures, including a nationwide lockdown and vaccine mandate.
“Numerous rallies are slated for Vienna, most of which are presumably directed against the COVID measures,” Vienna’s police said in a statement on Friday.
The protests were planned after the government this week introduced measures aimed at the non-vaccinated — steps that have now been extended to all residents.
Not Just Austria — Here Are the Countries Making COVID Vaccination Compulsory for Everyone
Austria is set to become the first country in Europe to make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory — only a handful of nations around the world have issued a sweeping mandate for all adults in a bid to control coronavirus infections:
What to watch for: Mandatory vaccination for children. Costa Rica became the first country in the world to require COVID-19 vaccination for children in early November, when officials said the shot will join a suite of others already needed by law.
Governments around the world are turning up the heat on those still refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Biden Administration Suspends Enforcement of Business Vaccine Mandate to Comply With Court Order
The Biden administration has suspended enforcement of its vaccination and testing requirements for private businesses after a federal appeals court halted the rules pending review.
The White House previously told businesses to proceed with the implementation of the requirements.
Whatever the outcome in federal appeals court, the case will likely be decided by the Supreme Court, according to Carl Tobias, a professor of law at the University of Richmond. “Whoever loses in the Sixth Circuit is going to the Supreme Court,” Tobias told CNBC on Thursday.
9 States Investigating Meta Over What Mark Zuckerberg Is Doing to Your Kids
A bipartisan coalition of at least nine state attorney generals are investigating Meta over the potentially harmful effects Facebook and Instagram have on young users.
The group of legislators, first noted by the Wall Street Journal, are looking into the techniques and technologies used by Meta to increase the frequency and duration of time young users spend on Facebook and Instagram.
More concerning for Meta, the AGs also want to know if the company’s targeting of youth users amounts to a violation of consumer protection laws.
Nevada Student Suing Over University Vaccination Mandates
A 19-year-old student who says he is immune from COVID-19 because he already had it is suing the University of Nevada, Reno, the governor and others over the state’s requirement that everyone, with few exceptions, show proof of vaccination in order to register for classes in the upcoming spring semester.
Jonah Gold claims there is no solid evidence that people who recover from COVID-19 ever lose their immunity.
His lawsuit says any benefit of vaccination is outweighed by the threat of harmful side effects and that “COVID-19 vaccination mandates are an unconstitutional intrusion on normal immunity and bodily integrity.”
Nearly 300 Hanford, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Workers Sue to Stop COVID Vaccine Mandate and Save Their Jobs
About 285 Hanford nuclear reservation workers have filed a lawsuit in federal court, asking that a COVID-19 vaccine mandate be immediately overturned.
Because of requirements that about 11,000 Hanford workers be vaccinated or have an exemption approved, the lawsuit claims the Hanford site will not have enough workers, including Hanford guards, to do the minimum work needed to keep the site safe and secure.
The lawsuit also includes about 10 additional plaintiffs who are employed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a Department of Energy research lab based in Richland. PNNL has about 5,300 employees.
Ohio Students Can’t Be Barred From School Activities Over COVID Vaccine Status in New Bill
Ohio’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives Thursday passed a bill that would bar private companies and public entities like schools from requiring proof of COVID vaccination to enter a building as a customer or participate in school activities.
The bill provides exemptions for workplace vaccine mandates for employees who can prove they have COVID antibodies, that they would have an adverse reaction to the vaccine, or file a legitimate religious objection.
Rhode Island State Workers Could Get $3,000 Vaccine Bonuses Under Tentative Union Agreement
The McKee administration and Rhode Island’s biggest union of state workers have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that includes a provision to give two $1,500 bonuses to workers who’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19.
J. Michael Downey, president of AFSCME Council 94, said Thursday a vote on the tentative four-year agreement will take place Dec. 2. He said 60 members of the union will be fanning out to seek feedback.
Calls for Mass Immunization of U.S. Students in 1981 Resurfaces Amid Mandatory COVID Vaccine Debate
As the debate over COVID-19 vaccinations rages across the globe, parallels with extraordinary immunization events in America’s history have been drawn.
Austria has emerged as the first country in Europe to enforce COVID-19 vaccinations on its population from Feb. 1, 2022. It was announced on Friday by Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg, who also declared the nation will be going into another full lockdown on Nov. 22.
For students, inoculation is now a requirement at Los Angeles Unified School District — the nation’s second-largest — for those aged 12 and over. While at least 1,100 colleges and universities required proof of COVID-19 vaccination, AP reported.
Justice Department to Defend Tech Protections Biden Denounced
The Justice Department plans to defend a controversial legal protection for tech companies, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, despite the fact that President Joe Biden said as a candidate last year the provision should be eliminated.
Justice Department lawyers notified a federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday that they plan to weigh in to defend the law in one of three lawsuits former President Donald Trump filed in July, accusing major internet companies of effectively acting as government agents to censor the speech of conservatives online.
Facebook Demands LAPD End Social Media Surveillance and Use of Fake Accounts
Facebook is demanding that the Los Angeles police department (LAPD) cease all use of “dummy” accounts on its platforms and stop collecting data on users for surveillance.
Documents obtained by the Brennan Center and reviewed by the Guardian show that in addition to enabling law enforcement clients to collect and analyze user data from companies like Facebook, Voyager software also enables its law enforcement clients to use fake accounts to access otherwise inaccessible and private user information.
Facebook says both these uses are violations of its policies. The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.