With COVID-19 surging in WA, Inslee announces vaccine mandates. Here’s who is affected
New COVID-19 vaccine mandates were announced Monday affecting state workers and health-care workers, including long-term care workers.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced the new statewide vaccine proclamation, which is to take effect immediately.
“We want the freedom of not having to shut down our economy, again,” Inslee said Monday at a news conference at Kaiser Permanente in Seattle. “We want the freedom of not having to wear masks, sometime in the future. We want freedom of our children, not having to worry about getting this disease. And we want freedom for everyone to live without it without even to think about the COVID virus.”
“Significant efforts have been made to address workplace safety in the face of COVID, a new workplace hazard. Even with all of those safety efforts we did not curtail all outbreaks,” the Governor’s Office said in a FAQ sent ahead of the announcement.
The new rules will require state workers and those in private health care and long-term care settings as well as other congregate settings to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to continue working, with employers verifying vaccine status of employees.
The proclamation affects nursing homes, adult family homes, assisted living, enhanced services facilities, residential treatment facilities and other treatment facilities. Beyond full-time workers, it also covers contractors, volunteers and other positions that have any onsite presence at the health care sites or working with the state.
The total number of state and health care workers the proclamation covers is an estimated 460,000, Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah told reporters Monday.
State workers will have until Oct. 18 to complete their vaccinations or risk termination.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and King County Executive Dow Constantine made similar announcements with the governor Monday to require the vaccine among city and county workers.
“King County will be mirroring the state employee policy, and we will be requiring all 13,500 executive branch employees to be vaccinated,” Constantine said at Monday’s news conference. “By mid October, we too will work with our labor unions to negotiate the details for implementation.”
Under the new state rules, there will not be an option to test regularly in lieu of vaccinations. Those still working from home also will need proof of completed vaccination.
Regular testing instead of vaccines “has not worked well in congregate care settings such as DOC facilities and long-term care,” the Governor’s Office said in a briefing email sent to reporters. “It has not reduced spread of COVID. It would also cost an estimated $66 million annually if applied across agencies.”
California and New York have issued similar mandates, with the option of regular testing.
In Washington, religious and medical exemptions will be allowed, with those details still to come.
“State employees may work with their agency’s human resources office if they need a reasonable accommodation for medical or religious reasons. Private sector employers may choose a different process,” according to the state’s FAQ.
The mandate applies to all cabinet agency workers but does not extend to higher education, K-12 schools, the legislative branch, judicial branch and employees of other elected officials.
The Governor’s Office, in its email, said: “The governor has the authority to do this for most state employees and workers in private health care/long-term care/congregate settings through his emergency powers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In its FAQ, the state said that it “engaged with labor organizations, local governments, and private healthcare, and received communications from various associations representing segments of private healthcare settings,” ahead of the proclamation.
On Monday, the Washington Federation of State Employees, which represents nearly 47,000 public service workers in state agencies, higher education and behavioral health issued a statement in response to the governor’s announcement:
“Just as we have done over the past 18 months, our union will continue to advocate safe working conditions. WFSE members will bargain the impacts of any vaccine mandate policies to ensure that public service heroes of this pandemic are treated fairly.”
The governor’s announcement did not include any new mask requirements beyond the Department of Health’s current recommendations of everyone wearing masks indoors, regardless of vaccine status, in areas of high transmission and in schools.
Monday’s proclamation follows announcements last week where three health systems in Tacoma, Kaiser Permanente, MultiCare and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health all announced COVID-19 vaccine mandates for their workers.
The news came the same day the Pentagon also announced that it would mandate COVID vaccines for all active-duty military personnel by mid-September.
Currently, 58 percent of the state’s total population has initiated vaccination, and 53 percent are fully vaccinated. Among all those eligible (12 and older) the state says 69.6 percent have received at least one dose.
Inslee emphasized the state is now in a race against the Delta variant of COVID-19, with hopes the new mandates will help slow the spread.
“The last time we were in a situation like this, we had to shut down major parts of our economy. We do not want to do that again. There is no reason on this earth, why people who are vaccinated should lose the right to go to a restaurant or go to school or go to work, because some folks won’t get vaccinated in our state.”
“And we are not going to allow our hospitals to be overrun where you can’t get into an emergency room,” he added.
After Monday’s announcement, reactions for and against the new mandates were shared.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said Monday he would require the 243 employees at his agency to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 18, the state deadline.
“I am pleased that 84 percent of the people at my agency have self-reported being fully vaccinated. Vaccines are the only way we get back to life as we used to know it, and I am happy to do everything in my power to support that effort,” he said in a statement.
House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox and Senate Republican Leader John Braun issued a joint statement Monday saying vaccines should remain a personal decision instead of being mandated.
“Vaccinations can save lives and we have strongly encouraged people to get them. We have been vaccinated ourselves. But getting the vaccine is a personal health-care choice and should not be mandated by any level of government. Threatening to terminate someone’s job if they don’t comply with this requirement is heavy-handed and wrong.”
Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig (D-Spokane) and House Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma), in their own joint statement, said they would be considering future COVID safety measures for the legislative branch.
“As legislative leaders, we strongly encourage our members and staff to get vaccinated, and will be considering possible additional COVID safety steps within the legislative branch as we approach the next legislative session,” they wrote.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 1:12 PM with the headline "With COVID-19 surging in WA, Inslee announces vaccine mandates. Here’s who is affected."
