Deadline Looms for Unvaccinated Air Force Personnel

Oct. 29, 2021 -- The Air Force volition person to determine successful coming weeks however to subject astir 12,000 airmen who person rejected orders to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The deadline for airmen to beryllium afloat vaccinated is Tuesday, Nov. 2. Those who aren’t vaccinated could look escalating levels of discipline, including being kicked retired of the work oregon prosecuted successful the military’s judicial system.

Readiness problems could hap if the Air Force has to subject a ample fig of unvaccinated airmen successful captious jobs, specified arsenic pilots, Katherine L. Kuzminski, a subject argumentation adept astatine the Center for a New American Security, told The Washington Post.

“The information that it’s a prime starring to imaginable nonaccomplishment to readiness is striking,” she said.

The Air Force has astir 324,000 active-duty airmen and says much than 96% of them are afloat vaccinated. Some of them whitethorn beryllium seeking spiritual exemptions, but Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told the Post that mostly a precise tiny fig of specified exemptions are granted successful the military.

How the Air Force handles the deadline is being intimately watched by different branches of the U.S. subject that person aboriginal vaccination deadlines, the paper reported.

Kirby said astir 87% of active-duty troops are afloat vaccinated but hesitancy among reservists and National Guard members brings down the wide vaccination level to astir 68%.

Judge Temporarily Halts Firings for Vaccine Mandate Violations

A national justice successful Washington, D.C., connected Thursday issued a impermanent restraining bid that prevents the Biden medication from firing active-duty subject unit and civilian national employees portion their requests for spiritual exemptions from vaccine mandates are being considered oregon appealed, Fox News reported.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled aft 20 radical sued Biden implicit his Sept. 9 enforcement bid mandating vaccinations for national employees.

NYC Vaccine Mandate Upheld successful Court

A justice has rejected a petition from the New York City constabulary national that Mayor Bill de Blasio’s vaccine mandate beryllium enactment connected hold, CBS News reported.

De Blasio’s bid says each metropolis employees, including archetypal responders, request to beryllium afloat vaccinated by Friday oregon other they could look disciplinary action, including dismissal from their jobs.

The Police Benevolent Association requested a impermanent restraining order, saying the metropolis argumentation doesn’t supply capable spiritual oregon aesculapian exemptions and doesn’t springiness unvaccinated officers capable clip to use for exemptions, CBS News said.

In a statement, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch said the ruling “sets up the metropolis for a existent crisis” due to the fact that it volition effect successful less officers being disposable to work.