Photo: CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP / Getty Images
A county in Florida has been fined more than $ 3.5 million in dollars for requiring county employees to be vaccinated against COVID – 19 .
The state Department of Health issued a statement Tuesday, saying that the county de Leon violated the passport ban on vaccines status 714 times, according to CBS News.
The state sent a notice of violation to the administrator of the Leon County , Vincent Long , on October 6, saying that the county’s vaccine requirement for employees violates a state law that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced in September. Under the law, government agencies that force a vaccine as a condition of employment can be fined $ 5, 000 dollars for each case of doing so .
DeSantis had said that the law was issued in an effort to “defend freedom.”
The Leon County first required that all employees were fully vaccinated against COVID – 19 the 28 July , depending on the state. Employees were required to provide a verification of the vaccine to the government human resources department no later than October 1 . The state said that 354 county government employees provided such documentation, and that in a few days, 14 Employees were fired for their refusal or failure to do so. so.
The county said on October 2 that 30 employees received a medical or religious exemption from the vaccine , and that in total, less than 2% of employees did not prove they were vaccinated.
The 714 violations, the state government said, accumulated a fine of more than $ 3.5 million that the county must pay within 30 days.
“It is unacceptable that Leon County violated Florida law, violated the medical privacy of employees current and former and laid off loyal public servants due to their personal health decisions, ”said DeSantis at a statement. “We will continue to fight for the rights of Floridians and the Florida Department of Health will continue to enforce the law. We are going to defend Floridians ‘jobs, defend Floridians’ livelihoods, and defend freedom. ”
According to state data , the 60% of Leon County residents from 12 years or more have been vaccinated against COVID – 19 . From October 1 to October 7, the county had 354 cases. As the number of people vaccinated in the state continues to rise, the weekly COVID case count has decreased .
Joseph Ladap, the state’s new surgeon general, said in a statement that firing people for the vaccines Covid – 19 “have real and lasting consequences. ”
“ It leads to resentment in the workplace and job loss affects individual and public health, ”he said. Ladap in a statement. “People have every right to choose the best way to protect themselves and their families.”
County Manager Vincent Long, however, it said in a statement on Tuesday that the county’s actions were necessary and were developed with information from an expert guide in public health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and numerous health officials have urged the public to get vaccinated against the COVID – 19 to slow the spread.
In the workplace, the CDC have recommended the vaccine , while saying that companies can adhere to medical and religious exemptions. More than 187. 7 million people have been vaccinated up to Tuesday, according to CDC , and more than 8.5 million have already received a booster dose.