Written by T. Logan Dayne
Santa Clara County just changed a controversial booster rule that would relax its requirements for “high risk” workers such as correctional officers and nurses. The county is reversing its decisions on the booster mandate which was announced as early as December when many were promised a “winter of death” by the White House, citing new information and lower COVID-19 cases as the reason for the change.
The mandate received heavy criticism as early as January after it was announced. Since then, over 200 county employees have received disciplinary action as a result of not meeting the booster deadlines. The mandate has even led to suits being filed in federal court. Plaintiffs are suing citing the violation of their religious rights and freedom. The county had denied nearly all who faced the ultimatum, allegedly denying medical and religious freedoms to its workers. Some workers have been on unpaid leave for months feeling that they have been backed into a corner by their employers. The county even had barred any with exemption from remaining in their current position, a move uniquely harsh for the county, leading to hundreds of being disciplined. A professor of medicine who has been critical of the mandates, Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, wrote that many workers had more than likely gained natural immunity. This would make the mandates not only unnecessary but “counterproductive and dangerous”.
The new rule changes would allow workers to remain in their current jobs and in lieu of the booster they can test weekly. Despite the change the lawsuit remains and is being reviewed. Courts systems have consistently upheld vaccine mandates and for those who have been hurt by the mandates will have to prove irreparable harm should the court not take action. A case that would be hard to prove.
Photo Cred: San Jose Spotlight
