In light of Omicron's arrival in the U.S., is the retail industry's vaccine requirement truly necessary?
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the omicron variant of COVID-19 made headlines. Amidst this, President Joe Biden instituted travel restrictions from eight countries and encouraged vaccination. A week later, with omicron already discovered in the U.S., he announced a plan to combat the pandemic, which included encouraging boosters for adults, vaccinations for children, expanding testing, and developing new vaccines if necessary.
Interestingly, Biden's mandate for companies with 100 or more employees to verify their workers' vaccination status or submit to weekly testing was blocked by the courts. With nearly 60% of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, but community transmission still high, it is unclear whether vaccines are as protective as against the delta variant. Omicron, reported in a third of the states, is said to have an increased risk of reinfection.
The ongoing legal battle surrounding the mandate has raised concerns about public health, the economy, and the retail industry in 2022 and beyond. From the retailers' perspective, they risk shooting themselves in the foot, as prolonged debates about COVID could disrupt their operations and lives indefinitely. The best course of action, according to experts, is to get vaccinated, encourage vaccination, and move on from the pandemic once and for all.
The NRF, in its legal challenge, argues that any size business should be protected in a true emergency. Their assertion that COVID-19 is not a workplace issue and that OSHA is not a public health agency has been disputed by public health experts. Sharona Hoffman, a professor at Case Western Reserve University Law School, called this argument "absurd."
The NRF's court victory may make hiring more challenging for employers during the holiday season, especially with a workforce shortage, inflation concerns, and supply chain issues already being faced. However, the news about omicron may scare more people away from reporting to work or taking jobs, especially those that require in-person work. In fact, requiring vaccination or disease testing is uncomfortable for employers, but it's a necessary measure to protect against the deadly pandemic and retain employees.
The phenomenon where people opt for the vaccine rather than quit over it is partly why mandates work. It allows people and companies to blame the government for the requirements, especially when misinformation about the pandemic is rampant.
The quandary facing public health officials is that many of the best defenses against the pandemic, including masks and immunization, have become politicized. However, with 770,000 people dead, 48 million cases, and a whole bunch of people with chronic disease from this, the pandemic isn't over. The cost and time of contact tracing and testing employees in the event of an outbreak are much more onerous than dealing with the mandate. Therefore, it's advisable for businesses to get off the dime and get vaccination requirements implemented as soon as possible.
- The omicron variant of COVID-19, recently making headlines over the Thanksgiving weekend, has sparked concerns about public health, the economy, and various industries.
- Amidst this, President Joe Biden instituted travel restrictions and encouraged vaccination, announcing a plan to combat the pandemic.
- However, the mandate for companies with 100 or more employees to verify their workers' vaccination status or submit to weekly testing was blocked by the courts.
- Nearly 60% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, but community transmission remains high, raising questions about the effectiveness of vaccines against the omicron variant.
- Omicron, already discovered in a third of the states, is said to have an increased risk of reinfection.
- The ongoing legal battle surrounding the mandate has raised concerns about its impact on public health, the economy, and the retail industry in 2022 and beyond.
- From the retailers' perspective, prolonged debates about COVID-19 could disrupt their operations indefinitely.
- Experts suggest that the best course of action is to get vaccinated, encourage vaccination, and move on from the pandemic once and for all.
- The National Retail Federation (NRF), in its legal challenge, argues that any size business should be protected in a true emergency.
- Their assertion that COVID-19 is not a workplace issue and that OSHA is not a public health agency has been disputed by public health experts.
- The phenomenon where people opt for the vaccine rather than quit over it partly explains why mandates work, allowing people and companies to blame the government for the requirements.
- Masks and immunization, considered the best defenses against the pandemic, have become politicized.
- With over 770,000 people dead, 48 million cases, and a large number of people with chronic diseases from the pandemic, the cost and time of contact tracing and testing employees in the event of an outbreak are much more onerous than dealing with the mandate.
- Therefore, it's advisable for businesses to implement vaccination requirements as soon as possible, given the ongoing pandemic and the benefits it offers in terms of health, economic stability, and retaining employees.
