If the vaccination requirement conflicts with protections for people with disabilities or religious objections, employers have to make a “reasonable accommodation” such as allowing that person to work from home full time. The pace of vaccination has slowed considerably to less than half its pace in early April, casting doubt on whether Murphy can reach his goal of 4.7 million fully vaccinated adults by the end of June.Įmployers have a right to require their workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19, according to guidance issued by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in December, as the vaccine rollout began.īut there are two major exceptions. In New Jersey, nearly 4 million people had been fully vaccinated as of Thursday. Vaccination "protects them and their patients against COVID-19 and ensures continuation of critical health care services," according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. Health care workers are at higher risk for exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19 because of their close interactions with patients. But it has continued to rise, as some who were initially hesitant have seen their peers do well after vaccination. While uptake was strong, it was not universal, especially among younger, female employees, hospital executives have said. Hospital employees were the top priority for vaccination when the Food and Drug Administration authorized the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines in December. The RWJBarnabas decision comes after the University of Pennsylvania Health system, which includes Princeton Health, announced last week that it would mandate vaccination of all its employees for COVID-19. "RWJBarnabas is a leading health care system in the state and we’re proud of their vaccination efforts to help end the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey." The governor "applauds RWJBarnabas Health for their commitment to public health and the safety of the patients in their care," said a spokeswoman, Alexandra Altman. Phil Murphy was said to be pleased with the decision. More: As pandemic recedes, NJ's hospital workers are still getting sick - and dying - from COVID
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Vaccine rollout: Are COVID vaccine perks like free beer, wine and money enough for NJ to reach goal? It helps open the economy up and gets us back to where we want to be.” “We’re very much in favor of getting the workforce vaccinated.
“Our position is if employers want to do it, they can do it,” he said. No other major New Jersey company has made such a requirement, said Tom Bracken, CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. The health system appears to be the first major employer in New Jersey to require at least some of its staff to be vaccinated. The policy for those who do not comply "is being finalized over the next several days," she said. "We have an obligation to do all we can to protect our patients and the communities we serve."Ībout 500 members of the supervisory staff are unvaccinated, an RWJBarnabas spokeswoman said.
The 11-hospital system is "committed to providing a culture of safety," said Barry Ostrowsky, its president and CEO. One of New Jersey's largest private employers, the RWJBarnabas Health system, will require supervisors and higher-level staff to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by the end of June - a decision it said Thursday will eventually be extended to all 35,000 members of its staff. Watch Video: Frontline worker on why she got the COVID-19 vaccine
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