Protests ignited Friday at the Washington State capitol building over a forced vaccine mandate for local healthcare systems amid similar protests erupting across the nation in the last few days.
“HAPPENING NOW: Thousands of citizens are out rallying at the Washington State Capitol in protest of @GovInslee’s forced vaccination mandate,” tweeted Katie Daviscourt about Gov. Jay Inslee’s (D) forced vaccine mandate, set to take effect August 31.
KTPV Fox 12 reported that the state deadline for employees to be fully vaccinated is August 31, “unless they have a qualifying medical exemption. Right now, it said 80% of their caregivers are vaccinated, but they need to do more.”
At PeaceHealth in Vancouver, Washington, unvaccinated “caregivers” must submit to regular testing, additional masking, and probable reassignment to “non-patient care.”
KTPV Fox 12 reported:
Just after the announcement from the local health system, “more than 100 PeaceHealth employees, family members and other local healthcare workers gathered in Vancouver Saturday to protest the requirement, saying they should have a choice in the matter. Many of those in attendance said they want to give informed consent, as patients do.”
On Thursday, protests began outside Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington. “Citizens are out rallying in protest of Governor Inslee’s forced vaccine mandate outside of Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, WA,” Katie Daviscourt tweeted.
CT technologist at PeaceHealth St. John Tammy Harris told KTPV Fox 12 he is healthy and should not have to undergo the the hospital’s mandates.
“I’m a healthy individual and they need to prove I pose a danger to my patients. I believe I can survive it and if I can’t, I am willing to take the risk. I’m willing to take the end result, which could be death,” he stated.
Washington residents joined other protests occurring in Tennessee and Kentucky on Tuesday over school mask mandates and forced vaccinations.
Registered nurse Crystal Real stated in Kentucky that “none of us want to lose our job…the reason I came out here, is because, well, I’ve been a nurse for 13 years, and I’ve never taken a vaccine,” she said in protest.
Parent Keri Blare from Collierville School District in Tennessee told WREG in Memphis she is protesting the school mask mandate. “We want to have our own right and have our own decision to decide to wear a mask or not,” she said. “That’s why I’m here today and that’s the right that I have to make that for my child as a recommendation.”
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø
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