As UConn issues vaccine mandate, gov set to do same
Lamont’s order covers state’s roughly 50,000 employees
Gov. Ned Lamont is preparing to impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on all state workers, a move the University of Connecticut took on Tuesday with a letter to faculty and staff.
Numerous sources familiar with the governor’s plans said he is drafting an order, which he could issue as soon as Thursday, requiring the state’s roughly 50,000 workers to show they have been vaccinated or submit to regular testing for the coronavirus.
It’s not clear when the mandate will take effect. The governor’s office has not made
any public comment about the order. The UConn order requires employees at the university system and UConn Health to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.
Lamont previously negotiated a vaccine mandate for about 8,000 state employees in health care and the prisons. Separately, he ordered that all nursing home staff have at least a first vaccination dose by Sept. 7. The nursing homes, which are private, agreed to the order.
All of those workers can claim a medical exemption as authorized by a health professional; or a “sincerely held religious objection” under federal civil rights law.
Unlike the state employee mandate that’s in force and being extended to the entire state work force, nursing home workers cannot agree to regular testing to avoid a vaccination.
It’s unclear what penalty a worker would face for not getting vaccinated and refusing to get tested, but it’s possible that person could face a period of being unpaid, in effect, a suspension.
On Wednesday, the state reported 593 positive COVID-19 cases out of 19,824 tests for a daily rate of 2.99 percent — a drop from 4.25 percent the day before. The 7-day average positive test level rose slightly from 3.4 to 3.5 percent. The state also reported an additional 27 hospitalizations overnight for a total of 348.
Multiple state union representatives either had no comment or did not respond to a request for comment on whether they would agree to the terms of the mandate — as the unions generally did in the mandates Lamont negotiated previously for the limited group of workers.
The State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition, which negotiates for about 46,000 state employees in more than 30 bargaining units, referred to a previous statement that it would carefully consider “any proposal that is designed to enhance the safety of both state workers and the public they serve while ensuring a fair and effective system.”
Lamont’s state vaccination rule is likely to face pushback from at least some Republicans. Rep. Tom O’Dea, R-New Canaan, said Wednesday that he’s “uncomfortable” with such mandates.
The 55-year-old got his shot as soon as he was eligible and encourages others to do the same but said ultimately it’s a personal decision. If there are weak spots within state agencies or offices, then “maybe they need to wear masks,” he said.
The governor’s pandemic-related executive authority is set to expire Sept. 30, raising questions about how the mandate would be enforced if his emergency powers end and policy decisions move back to the General Assembly. Democratic leadership in both the House and Senate have said they are open to extending
Lamont’s powers given the spread of more virulent Delta variant, but few, if any, Republicans are likely to support another extension.
Lamont has not yet said whether he believes another extension is necessary. He has indicated it will depend on the trajectory of the latest surge, which some experts say is likely to subside in September. For now, the governor and state and local public health officials are pushing hard to persuade vaccine holdouts to get the shots, which are plentiful and available.
Under UConn’s mandate, announced this week by the university’s interim president, Andrew Agwunobi, staff must show evidence of full vaccination by Oct. 15. The university had already mandated that students be vaccinated.
Agwunobi said medical and religious exemptions, or limited deferrals, can be requested under UConn’s mandate. Employees who are granted exemptions or deferrals, however, must undergo weekly testing for COVID-19, he said in a letter to staff on Tuesday. The full policy can be read online.
With the announcement, which comes as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continue to rise in Connecticut, UConn joins a growing number of colleges and universities in the state and across the country in requiring a vaccination.
Lamont’s nursing home order covers all employees, volunteers and outside contractors in long-term care facilities who have physical access to residents and patients. They must get their first dose by Sept. 7, with an appointment scheduled for a second dose.
SEIU District 1199, which represents 5,500 nursing home workers, is asking for a 30-day extension to comply with that requirement, and Lamont said Tuesday he will work with the union on that.
Some data is available on vaccination rates for nursing home staff, showing uptake rates in line with the general public, slightly higher than 70 percent as of last week. But the state has no way of knowing how many state employees overall are vaccinated — providers are not allowed to inform employers that someone has been vaccinated — and agencies have generally not solicited that information from workers.