Everyone should fear COVID, if not directly of its effects on themselves then on its effects on others, and thus, they should fear the roll they have in potentially transmitting that virus to a vulnerable person.
Lawmakers have been forced into action. Society, in aggregate, has not shown an ability to prevent the spread of this virus on their own by following mask mandates and social distancing recommendations. The data is
OVERWHELMING. Not wearing a mask and gathering spreads the virus. Again, lawmakers have been forced into action in order to maintain a functional healthcare system, so it does not get completely flooded and overwhelmed into a gridlock and utter chaos.
Look at this event. Which person is the asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic person in the group? How many people will be positive from this event? We have direct examples all over the country of super spreading events like weddings directly leading to deaths. This isn't a debatable subject. Here is an article from the CDC talking about a wedding reception in Maine that resulted in 177 new cases, seven hospitalization and seven deaths (four of which were in hospital).
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a5.htm
It is negligent. I think it is your right to not get a vaccine, and it is their right to suspend employees who don't. If you do get a vaccine, but it fails to protect you, and you get COVID anyways and spread it then no one can blame you for making an honest attempt at protecting the patients you serve. The vaccine is another form of PPE for you and the patient, no different than your mask, gloves, gown or anything else that creates a barrier from them to you and you to them.
Screening isn't done everywhere, and it isn't performed with a high degree of scrutiny. We use infrared scanners on the necks of people walking into the hospital after walking out of 30-50 degree or colder weather. This isn't an accurate way to screen caregivers. Our hospital has said it will follow the optional recommendations by the state to test their employees, saying they would begin testing weekly, but that was weeks ago, and they haven't, yet SNFs, assisted living facilities, longer term care facilities, etc have had this mandate or recommendation and have been randomly or broadly screening its employees for months. Why not the hospital too? We have had multiple outbreaks in the hospital, but what the hospital fears the most is finding asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic caregivers because they are worried about staffing levels, accountability, the need to do contact tracing, and the cost of paying healthy workers overtime to compensate for staff who are quarantined--profits over patients. If we are symptomatic then we are advised to stay home and get tested, except our work will not pay for it unless they determined or are requesting the test related to a workplace exposure. I could go on with other grievances and examples.
Lawmakers will be forced to act until hospitalizations fall, enough ICU beds become available, the transmission rate drops and the death rate drops. It is fairly simple. Every day where we see rising deaths is a day of loss, is a day of failure and is a day that demonstrates how we are getting further from, instead of closer to, returning to our normal way of life. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it is a reality that needs to be reiterated until it improves, so we don't devolve into complacency.