Mandates Don't Work When They Are Disproportionately Enforced.
More than 600 employees at the Department of Correction may opt to test weekly in lieu of being vaccinated against COVID-19, a CT Mirror analysis has found, because the state is not requiring prison medical staff to apply for medical or religious exemptions.
That policy is inconsistent with rules for the majority of health care workers at the departments of Veteran’s Affairs, Children and Families, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Developmental Services. About 3,700 workers at those agencies must have exemptions approved by the state if they want to test weekly instead of getting vaccinated, as per Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive order. The governor’s office confirmed that correctional employees are not bound by this rule.
The administration’s restrictive mandate for most health care employees is similar to practices in private hospitals in Connecticut, which also require workers to apply for exemptions if they do not want to be vaccinated. The governor’s vaccine mandate for long-term care facilities also requires staff to submit requests for medical and religious exemptions.
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