Please keep this vaccination card. A rapidly growing number of places in the US are requiring people to provide evidence that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to teach in school, work in a hospital, watch a concert, or in a restaurant meal.
After New York City, New Orleans and San Francisco will introduce such rules in many companies starting next week, while Los Angeles is exploring the idea.
The new measures are an attempt to contain the rising tide of COVID-19 cases that has pushed hospitals to their limit, including in the Dallas area where senior officials have warned that beds are running out in their pediatric intensive care units.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said the situation was so dire that if a parent seeks care for a sick or injured child, “your child will be waiting for another child to die. Your child is simply not getting a ventilator. Your child will be flown to Temple or Oklahoma City or wherever we can find a bed, but they won’t get one here unless they vacate one. “
Earlier this week, Jenkins ordered the use of masks in schools, county buildings, and businesses after a judge blocked Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on such rules. The district does not require a vaccination card.
On Friday, the Chicago School System, the third largest district in the country with more than 360,000 students, announced that all teachers and other staff must be fully vaccinated by mid-October unless they qualify for a medical or religious exception.
Philadelphia has ordered health care workers and college students and staff to have their vaccinations by mid-October.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said vaccination records are the best way to protect businesses. She said she wasn’t setting capacity limits or considering a shutdown similar to the one that devastated companies in 2020.
“Unlike that time last year, we have a tool that we didn’t have,” she said, referring to vaccines.
For the past two weeks, Louisiana has set daily records for the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19, reaching 2,907 patients on Friday. Ninety-one percent of hospital admissions are unvaccinated, according to government sources.
Officials hope the requirement will result in significant numbers of people receiving the shots, which cash prizes and grants could not afford.
Only 38% of the Louisiana population is fully vaccinated. But the number of people seeking their first vaccination has increased dramatically in the last month, with nearly 46% of Louisiana residents starting the series of vaccinations.
Critics say that compulsory vaccination for joining a company violates their rights and privacy.
At least 18 states run by Republican governors or legislators prohibit the creation of so-called vaccination records or prohibit public institutions from requesting proof of vaccination. Some of them – including Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, and Texas – also prohibit most companies from refusing to serve those who are not vaccinated.
President Joe Biden has urged cities to introduce vaccination certificates for restaurants and other businesses.
New York City’s guidelines on restaurants, bars, and other such places go into effect Monday, but inspections and enforcements won’t begin until September 13 – the week schools reopen. Customers must provide evidence that they have received at least one dose of vaccine.
The city is also demanding that all of its city workers – including teachers and police officers – be vaccinated or have weekly tests by mid-September.
San Francisco went a step further than New York by requiring diners in indoor restaurants, bars, gyms, and entertainment venues to be fully vaccinated. The rule goes into effect on August 20th.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issue paper cards to people when they receive their vaccinations. California is one of the few states that has created an online record with a barcode that people can use to prove their status. The Mayor of San Francisco said a photo of the CDC card would be sufficient.
Los Angeles is considering compulsory vaccination for indoor businesses. The leaders there voted on Wednesday to ask the city’s lawyers to work out the details.
On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom said all public and private school workers in California are required to provide proof of vaccination or weekly tests.
___
Associate press writers Jill Zeman Bleed in Little Rock, Arkansas, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia, and Don Babwin in Chicago contributed to this report.
[ad_1]
