Connecticut Requires COVID Vaccines for Most State Employees

Carson Swick | August 19, 2021 5:00 PM

The state of Connecticut has become the next to enact a Wuhan coronavirus vaccine mandate for all employees, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) announced on Thursday.

As reported by The Hartford Courant, Lamont notified state unions of his decision in a letter on Tuesday. Lamont’s impending executive order will mandate at least the first dose and an appointment for the second dose by Sept. 27, though certain medical and religious exemptions are permitted.

“The order will require that on or before September 27, 2021, all state employees and state hospital employees be fully vaccinated or have received the first dose and have either received a second dose or have an appointment for the second dose in a two-dose series, subject to medical and religious exemptions,” Lamont wrote.

Lamont’s order will require unvaccinated employees to undergo weekly Wuhan coronavirus testing. It applies to all employees of both Connecticut’s executive and judicial branches.

“State employees who fail to be fully vaccinated or qualify for a religious or medical exemption will be able to continue to work in a state owned or operated property by undergoing a COVID-19 test one time per week,” Lamont wrote in his letter to the unions.

With the new mandate, Connecticut joins the growing list of states that have required Wuhan coronavirus vaccines for citizens to participate in various aspects of their lives. New Jersey and Washington State both announced on Thursday that all public school teachers would have to get vaccinated or face likely termination. And for its state employees, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) enacted a similar mandate to Lamont’s.

At the local level, New York City and San Francisco have both enacted sweeping “vaccine passport” legislation that requires people visiting many indoor establishments to present proof of vaccination. Washington, D.C. has mandated that healthcare workers be vaccinated, and city officials in our nation’s capital have contemplated extending the current mask mandate through Thanksgiving.