US: LA Sheriff's office may have to fire 4K employees over COVID vaccination status

In United States (US), on February 8, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a measure that could result in dismissal of thousands of county employees who have t been vaccinated or who have received a medical or religious exemption. proposal, which passed 4-0 with one abstention, would transfer power from department heads to county's director of personnel, who may or may t be implementing county's existing vaccine mandate.

motion's author, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, claimed it was directed largely at Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which has lowest vaccination percent of any of county's 36 departments at 54%, and whose head has openly refused to enforce county's vaccinate mandate. vote in Los Angeles County comes only days before a Friday vaccination deadline in New York City for police, firefighters, and or public personnel. Employees who do t comply with COVID-19 mandate by Friday may be fired.

Employees in sheriff's department have t formally gone through county's five-step procedure of warnings and suspensions, according to Kuehl in Los Angeles, who said county was weeks away from firing m, according to Fox News. Despite this, Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who attempted to mobilise public opposition to proposal, stated on Tuesday that it would result in firing of 4,000 unvaccinated deputies.

Villaneuva called  vote a "suicide pact"

Villaneuva described vote as a "suicide pact," saying, this is thing more than ar politically motivated stunt by Board, which has influence on public health but will undoubtedly endanger public safety.

As of Monday, 83% of county's 100,000 employees had been properly immunised. According to data provided by Los Angeles officials, ar 15% have t been vaccinated, are seeking an exemption from mandate, or have t reported ir vaccination status with county. More than 5,000 exemptions had been requested as of Monday, with roughly 2,400 accepted and ar 2,500 waiting.

According to county data, many of county's departments had immunisation rates of 85% or above. Except for sheriff, who is elected by people, county supervisors choose leaders of each ncy. Moreover, COVID-19, according to Kuehl, is greatest police enforcement killer in country. Hence, she claimed that COVID-19, t vaccine regulations, was a threat to public safety.

(With inputs from ncies)

IM: AP/Shutterstock