According to the Northwest News Network, the Washington Federation of State Employees has reached an agreement with Inslee for Inslee’s mandate for all 46,000 members of its union union to be fully vaccinated before October 18. Or they will lose their jobs.
The agreement was made public on Saturday, but must still be ratified. It defines the exemptions, religious, and medical exemptions process for employees who are unable or unwilling to get their shots.
FRANKFORT (Ky.) — Democratic Kentucky Governor. Andy Beshear announced that he will call the Republican-led state legislature to a special session in order to shape pandemic policy as the state faces record COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases.
Tuesday marks the return of legislators to the state Capitol. This is a significant power shift in coronavirus policymaking in Bluegrass State, following a landmark court decision. The governor had been acting unilaterally since the outbreak of the pandemic in Kentucky. However, the state Supreme Court made those decisions more accountable to the legislature.
Beshear stated Saturday that “now, that burden will fall in large parts on the General Assembly.” It will need to bear a lot of that weight in order to face unpopular decisions and make decisions that balance many factors, including the lives or possible deaths of our citizens.
Beshear has the power to call legislators into special session and set the agenda. He spoke at a news conference on Saturday to outline pandemic-related issues that he wants lawmakers consider. These include policies regarding mask-wearing, school schedules, and how to handle the growing number of school closings due to virus outbreaks. The final decision on which measures will be passed will rest with the GOP supermajorities in both houses.
Beshear stated that lawmakers will be asked to extend a pandemic-related emergency state of emergencies until mid-January. The legislature would then resume regular session. The governor stated that they will be asked to examine his executive orders related to virus and other actions taken by his administration.
The governor addressed the issue of masks and said that he would “ask them to decide my ability to need masking in certain circumstances, depending on the location of the pandemic and how severe any area is.”
He asked them to allow schools more flexibility in scheduling, since many districts have been forced to suspend in-person learning due to virus outbreaks. The lawmakers will also be asked to take federal pandemic aid that is still available to “further fight” against coronavirus.
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MONTGOMERY AL — Alabama schools reported almost 9,200 coronavirus infections in students and staff over the past week.
Friday’s update of the state dashboard included information from 84 out of the 143 school district. Schools are making a temporary switch from traditional learning to remote learning due to the surge in demand.
Superintendent Eric Mackey claims that the spike in COVID-19-related cases across the state is due to schools opening their academic year. This creates a challenging mix. He said that scores of schools have closed for in-person instruction. Mackey said they were trying to avoid lengthy closures as upcoming test scores will likely show that student achievement has declined since last year’s closures.
The virus cases in Alabama have increased by 21% over the past four weeks. This is despite the fact that they make up only 16% of Alabama’s population.
Republican Governor. Kay Ivey did not issue statewide orders for masks, but instead left the decision up to local school boards. Mackey estimates that 90% of Alabama’s school systems require masks.
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HARTFORD (Conn.) – Connecticut nursing homes will be allowed to again hire temporary nurses aides in order to deal with staff shortages during the pandemic.
Gov. Ned Lamont signed Friday’s executive order to revive the state’s nurse aides program, which was in use during the pandemic.
The program allows temporary workers to provide nursing-related services but not that require a license. According to the governor’s office, the plan is to use these aides to serve residents without COVID-19. Permanent staff can then focus on patients with coronavirus.
The governor extended the deadline for nurses home workers to get their first vaccine shot, from Sept. 7 to September 27.
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JACKSON (Miss.) JACKSON, Miss. — A few Mississippi judges are encouraging people to follow their lead and get vaccinated in an effort to slow down the spread of COVID-19. This is an effort to keep courts open.
Thirteen judges sent messages to radio and TV stations. According to a state court system news release, this is the result. The state Department of Health coordinated the effort.
Circuit Judge Stanley Sorey, Raleigh, has confirmed that his 27-year-old wife died from COVID-19 in the year before vaccines were made.
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BERLIN — Two members of a German vaccination team were injured when a man demanded a certificate for vaccinations without wanting to be vaccinated.
German news agency dpa reported Saturday that the man attacked and injured a nurse during a vaccination event at a shopping mall in Gera’s eastern town.
According to police, the man approached the mobile vaccination team and refused to be vaccinated. He then became violent after he was denied a certificate.
Two injured team members had to be treated at a hospital, but were released later. Police later arrested the attacker in a nearby garage.
Police knew his identity because he registered for the vaccine in advance. He sustained minor injuries during the attack.
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PARIS — On Saturday, a group of protestors angry about France’s new virus rules gathered at a Paris shopping center and refused to be dispersed by police.
The Les Halles shopping centre in central Paris was the latest incident. Protests were being held throughout the country against government efforts for vaccinations and against the requirement of virus passes to enter restaurants and other venues.
Protesters shouted “Liberty!” as they forced their way through security guards to the underground mall. In reference to President Emmanuel Macron’s government and the 2018-2019 yellow vest movement, some wore yellow armbands or yellow vests.
On Saturday, thousands marched under a canopy made of French tricolor flags to protest a rally called by Florian Philippot. Other demonstrations took place in Marseille and in other cities.
These protests have been ongoing for weeks and the majority of French citizens support the rules. Some 73% have received their first dose, while 67% have been fully vaccinated.
France’s recent surge in infections began receding shortly after the virus was eliminated. Hospitalisations are also on the decline.
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ANKARA (Turkey) — According to her son, a 116-year old woman from Turkey survived COVID-19. She is now one of the oldest survivors of the disease.
Ayse Karatay was moved to a normal ward on Saturday, according to her son Ibrahim.
“My mother became ill at the tender age of 116. She remained in intensive care for three weeks.” He said that her health is improving and that she is feeling better.
In February, Sister Andre, a French nun, was cured of COVID-19 just days before her 117th Birthday. She is the second-oldest living person in the world.
After falling ill, Ayse from Emirdag, Afyonkarahisar in western Turkey was taken to Eskisehir City hospital. She had tested positive for COVID-19.
Ibrahim claimed that she had received only one dose of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine prior to becoming ill. She also said that her family members were likely to have infected her.
Ayse was born in the Ottoman Empire when precise dates of birth were not recorded.
