New York state health care workers will no longer have religious exemption to Covid-19 vaccine mandate, court rules
The three-judge panel within the US Court docket of Appeals for the Second Circuit additionally despatched the 2 court docket circumstances again to the decrease courts to proceed.
The continuing court docket circumstances stem from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s order that every one hospital and long-term care facility staff have been required to get at the very least one dose of the vaccine by September 27.
CNN has reached out to the New York State Division of Well being for remark, and particulars of what number of exemptions the state has already offered.
An lawyer for plaintiffs in one of many circumstances vowed to take the case to the US Supreme Court docket Friday.
“New York’s mandate forces an abominable selection on New York healthcare staff: abandon their religion or lose their careers,” stated lawyer Cameron Atkinson, who represents three nurses. “They’ve dedicated their futures to God’s fingers, and we stay optimistic that the USA Supreme Court docket will strike down New York’s discriminatory mandate as violating the First Modification.”
Within the second case, 17 well being care staff, a lot of them unnamed docs, residents and nurses, filed a lawsuit final month objecting to the New York State Division of Well being’s vaccine mandate, which did not enable for non secular exemptions. A decide issued a short lived restraining order on September 14 associated to the non secular exemptions.
CNN reached out to an lawyer representing these well being care staff for response.
Gov. Kathy Hochul praised the court docket’s resolution.
“On Day One, I pledged as Governor to battle this pandemic and take daring motion to guard the well being of all New Yorkers,” Hochul stated in a press release. “I commend the Second Circuit’s findings affirming our first-in-the-nation vaccine mandate, and I’ll proceed to do every little thing in my energy to maintain New Yorkers secure.”
Spiritual exemptions granted to virtually 16,000 staff earlier than ruling, official stated
Practically 16,000 well being care staff in New York State have been granted non secular exemptions by their employers previous to Friday’s court docket ruling, the state’s well being division confirmed to CNN Friday night time.
That is 15,844 staff of hospitals, nursing houses, grownup houses, Licensed House Well being Businesses (CHHA), Licensed House Care Service Businesses (LHCSA) and hospice services, stated Jeffrey Hammond, deputy director of communications for the New York State Division of Well being.
Hammond offered a breakdown of the information, together with the variety of staff and percentages of workers impacted in every well being care group.
• Hospitals (as of October 26): 6,433 staff (1.3%)
• Licensed House Well being Businesses (as of October 26): 505 staff (4%), of which, 365 are direct care workers
• Licensed House Care Service Businesses (as of October 26): 5,573 staff(2.1%), of which, 5,070 are direct care workers
• Hospice (as of October 26): 94 staff (2%), of which, 70 are direct care workers
• Nursing Properties (as of October 29): 2,684 staff (1.8%), of which, 1,935 are direct care workers
• Grownup Properties (as of October 29): 555 (2%), of which, 309 are direct care workers
