Thousands of Washington state workers seek exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandate

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About 7% of Washington state government workers subject to Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate have so far requested medical or religious exemptions, highlighting the breadth of resistance to the order.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 4,300 exemptions have been filed by workers at 21 different state agencies, according to spokespeople. That amounts to roughly 7% of the approximately 60,000 state government employees subject to the mandate that they be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18, or lose their jobs.

A final number likely will be higher. As of late Tuesday morning, three state agencies hadn’t yet provided figures. Not everyone who applies for an exemption will necessarily be granted one. And even if workers are granted an exemption, they can still be fired if accommodations can’t be found for them in less public-facing positions. (Seattle Times)

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