Hospice nurse Anita Lane of Turner receives a COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday from occupational health nurse Tina Charest at Androscoggin Home Healthcare + Hospice in Lewiston. Androscoggin Home Healthcare is one of three home health care and hospice organizations in Maine to have received the Moderna Inc. vaccine, and the only independent home health and hospice in the state to have it. “This is such an exciting day,” said Leann Sebrey, chief clinical officer at Androscoggin Home Healthcare + Hospice. “Our commitment from the beginning has been to make sure our staff has what they need to be safe. This is our next step.” Androscoggin received 400 doses of the Moderna vaccine Monday. More than 200 staff members are to receive the vaccine this week on a voluntary basis. President and CEO Ken Albert said he has seen a major shift toward trusting the vaccine since front-line employees across Maine began receiving it days ago. “That is very exciting,” Albert said. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo
Experts say employers can require employees to take safety measures, including vaccination. That doesn’t necessarily mean you would get fired if you refuse, but you might need to sign a waiver or agree to work under specific conditions to limit any risk you might pose to yourself or others.
“Employers generally have wide scope” to make rules for the workplace, said Dorit Reiss, a law professor who specializes in vaccine policies at the University of California Hastings College of the Law. “It’s their business.”
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has allowed companies to mandate the flu and other vaccines, and has also indicated they can require COVID-19 vaccines.
There are exceptions; for example, people can request exemptions for medical or religious reasons.
And even though employers can require vaccinations, there are reasons they might not want to.
Tracking compliance with mandatory vaccination would be an administrative burden, said Michelle S. Strowhiro, an employment adviser and lawyer at McDermott Will & Emery. Employers would also have to manage exemption requests — not to mention legal claims that might arise.
As a result, many employers will likely strongly encourage vaccination without requiring it, Strowhiro said.
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