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Trucker Convoy to Shut Down Ottawa in Protest of Vaccine Mandates
Hundreds of Canadian truckers plan to descend on the nation’s capital of Ottawa on Friday in an attempt to shut down the city in protest of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The mandate, initially enacted by the Canadian federal government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, went into effect on Jan. 15. The mandate requires any truck driver crossing into Canada from the United States to provide proof of vaccination. A similar mandate, which went into effect on Jan. 22, requires the same proof of vaccination for truckers driving from Canada into the United States.
Despite outcry from unvaccinated truck drivers, the Canadian federal government has refused to change its stance on the mandate. In a statement sent to Newsweek in early January, the Canadian Ministry of Transportation did not say that it would make any exceptions for those who had not received the shot.
Virginia State Colleges and Universities Can’t Require Coronavirus Vaccine, New GOP Attorney General Finds
Virginia’s state colleges and universities cannot require students to get a coronavirus vaccine to enroll or attend in-person classes, the state’s new attorney general Jason Miyares found in his first opinion since taking office earlier this month.
Miyares, a Republican, concluded that the schools don’t have the authority to issue a coronavirus vaccine mandate for students without state lawmakers passing legislation allowing such a step, which has not happened.
A number of major Virginia universities and colleges require students to have the COVID-19 vaccination, including the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, George Mason University, James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University, Norfolk State, College of William & Mary and the University of Mary Washington.
It’s Not Just the IRS — the U.S. Government Wants Your Selfies
In November, the Internal Revenue Service launched an online security system that uses face recognition to confirm a person’s identity. Public attention to the project last week triggered an outcry. The ACLU called the project “deeply troubling,” saying face recognition “has been shown to be less accurate for people of color.”
Some IRS functions, like scheduling payments — but not filing taxes — now require first-time users to verify their identity with Virginia startup ID.me, which also works with 27 state employment agencies and the Veterans Administration. The process involves photographing a government-issued ID and uploading a video selfie so algorithms can match face and document.
The company’s CEO stoked distrust Wednesday when he said the company uses face recognition more widely than previously disclosed. One certainty amid the dispute: Submitting selfies to access online government services is set to stay — and spread.
For Many COVID Vaccine Opponents, No Jab Means No Job
For eight years, Mike Miller has patrolled the grounds of the Snake River Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison in east Oregon.
But next week, he’ll face his bosses at a “pre-dismissal hearing” for violating the terms of his job. Miller expects to be fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
Miller’s application for a medical exemption from the vaccine mandate, based on him contracting COVID-19 last year and testing positive for antibodies, was denied. So was his request for a religious exemption, which the prison said he filed past the deadline. Today, he is on paid home leave, he said, and required to be on-call even though he has no remote work to do.
Boston Risks Losing ‘Disproportionate’ Number of Educators of Color With City’s Vaccine Mandate
There’s growing concern among union leaders in Boston that a “disproportionate” number of educators of color may leave their jobs because of a vaccine mandate for city employees.
City employees who refuse to comply will be placed on unpaid leave.
But with the vaccination policy set to go into effect next week, the Massachusetts Appeals Court on Thursday issued a temporary pause of Boston’s requirement for city workers after serious pushback from unions.
In a statement released Thursday, the Boston Teachers Union said it will not enforce Boston’s mandate by putting teachers on leave — at least until there’s a decision on the appeal.
Wisconsin Assembly Approves Bill Banning Vaccine Passports for Employers
The Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill Tuesday that would obligate employers to treat previous COVID-19 infections as an alternative to vaccines in addition to banning vaccine passports.
Republican supporters endorse the bill with the assertion that a previous COVID-19 infection provides comparable protection to full vaccination. The bill is likely to be vetoed by Gov. Tony Evers.
Marines Make It Easier for Those Kicked out Over Vaccines to Come Back
In the weeks since the military began separating troops for failing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the Marine Corps has consistently been the most aggressive branch, having removed 399 from the service.
Meanwhile, the Marine Corps quietly made a subtle change to how it deals with vaccine-refusing service members, making it easier for them to return.
In late December, the Corps released a message announcing it would discharge Marines with the reentry code RE-3P instead of RE-4. The distinction is significant. A discharge with an RE-4 code is typically a bar on reenlisting in any service, while RE-3 codes would allow someone to reenlist with a waiver.
Despite the continued pressure by the Marine Corps to remove troops who have failed to meet the vaccine mandate, the service also announced Thursday that it had granted another religious exemption to its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, bringing the total to three.
Elon Musk Offers Support to Canadian Truckers Amid COVID Vaccine Mandate
Tesla CEO Elon Musk offered support to Canadian truckers protesting the federal government’s vaccine mandate on Thursday in a series of tweets. “Canadian truckers rule,” Musk wrote to his nearly 72 million followers, adding “CB radios are free from govt/media control.”
Anti-vaccine mandate truckers in Ottawa have participated in a protest convoy demonstrating against the Jan. 15 mandate for cross-border drivers. The Freedom Convoy left from Vancouver for Ottawa on Sunday.
In the past, Musk had questioned the vaccine and downplayed the pandemic. He also defied California’s 2020 stay-at-home order to keep Tesla factories open, eventually opting to move to Texas.
Mississippi Bill Sets Religious Exemption on COVID Vaccine
Mississippi government entities could not withhold services or refuse jobs to people who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 under a bill that passed the Republican-controlled state House on Thursday.
That prohibition includes state agencies, city and county governments and schools, community colleges and universities.
House Bill 1509 also says private businesses and government entities could not require a COVID-19 vaccination for any employee who has a “sincerely held religious objection.”
Arkansas Panel OKs Agencies Enforcing Vaccine Requirement
Arkansas lawmakers on Friday cleared the way for state-run healthcare facilities to require employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine after officials warned that blocking the move would jeopardize more than $700 million in federal funding.
The Arkansas Legislative Council effectively approved the request by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs to comply with the federal vaccine requirement.
Apple to Finally Let EU Residents Add COVID Certificates to Wallet App
In the European Union, digital COVID-19 certificates are currently near-unavoidable, required for air travel, at border crossings, and often at events, restaurants and sports venues.
And while Apple‘s iPhone comes with a Wallet app that holds digital versions of credit cards, boarding passes, and various tickets, it currently doesn’t support the EU COVID-19 certificate.
This will change soon. According to MacRumors, the latest beta version of iOS 15.4 will give EU citizens the option to add a COVID-19 certificate to their Wallet app.
Messenger Calls and Chats Are Now Fully Encrypted — if You Want Them to Be
Meta-owned Messenger has announced the launch of end-to-end (E2E) encryption across its platform, meaning chats and calls should be safe from snooping.
Users can now choose whether to have their messages, group chats and calls fully encrypted when logged into the service. One option is to use vanish mode, which can be activated by swiping up on an existing chat to activate a new option where messages automatically disappear when the chat window is closed.
The launch is a slight surprise, given that Meta said in November 2021 that it would delay the roll out of E2E encryption by default on Messenger and Instagram until 2023 as it examined the effect such a move would have on users.
