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CeeZar
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While I'm against requiring vaccinations at pretty much every level, at this point pretty much everyone has had the opportunity get vaccinated. I know there are a few exceptions, but I can't imagine that they are statistically significant.
After getting off to a rocky start, California has done a fairly decent job of vaccinating its population. I believe that, as of now, approx. 51% have received at least partial vaccination. And I agree with your thoughts that those who were anxious to get vaccinated have likely already found a way to do so. With that said, I suspect that there's still a significant percentage (maybe 20-25%) who may not necessarily have the means to get their shot(s) as fast as they'd like or have it at the top of their list of priorities.
To address the first issue, Cali is in the process of changing its vaccination strategy - moving away from large vaccination sites to more localized distribution points (i.e. local CVS's, churches, and mobile pop-ups). This is supposed to help primarily older residents of color who may have had difficulty navigating the online vaccination appointment websites or didn't have adequate transportation to get to a mass vax site.
To address the second issue (those who have other priorities - think people ages 25-35), I think the state will focus on making vaccination convenient. For example, I suspect that primary physicians will soon be allowed to offer vaccinations right on the spot to patients who may be visiting for any variety of reasons. I also believe that you'll begin to see mobile pop-up sites at various events/venues where you can expect a lot of foot traffic (i.e. beaches, Dodger Stadium, downtown areas, malls, etc.). I believe that, over the course of the summer, it will be difficult to NOT bump into one or more of these pop-up sites. It will be a situation where those who want to be vaccinated (but haven't had the time, motivation, or wherewithal) will run out of excuses and simply take the 15 minutes to get poked. I believe the J&J vaccine will play a major role here (one and done).
This will be more of a slow and steady approach.
I think that we'll catch a break in SoCal because we're likely to enjoy relatively warm weather from now through early December where we can expect folks to enjoy the outdoors. That will give us more time to get us to some semblance of herd immunity before the bitter winter forces us indoors (i.e. 65 degrees).
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I'd bet my house that it won't happen in CA. But if you get The Rona at this point, its on you, and no way should you get worker's comp unless you can prove proof of vaccination or positive immunity test.
Like you said...don't bet your house. California is notorious for siding with workers - whether it be for workers' comp. or employee vs. business lawsuits.
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So what procedures do you follow when you arrest someone? I assume you are transporting in a car. Do you force the arrestee wear a mask? I wouldn't think that would be possible.
(LOL!) Most (not all) of our "clients" are engaged in non-violent, white-collar types of crimes out of LA County where we recently elected a new District Attorney who isn't too keen on assigning bail to these types of criminals. And if there's no bail, I'm not inclined to assume the risk of organizing an arrest warrant operation in the current perception of law enforcement climate (or any climate for that matter). As such, our instances of actual physical arrests have gone down by more than 50%.
Be that as it may, most of our suspects are the non-violent types who value their health just as much as the next person. So, we typically don't have to work too hard to convince a suspect to wear a mask while we transport them to jail.
And if a transported suspect doesn't want to wear a mask?
Well, we're not gonna make them. Instead, we have protocols in place to mitigate exposure. For example, transporting Detectives are required to not only wear a mask (typically KN-95), but a face shield as well (regardless of if the suspect is wearing a mask or not). I've also encouraged the Detectives to transport with the windows cracked in order to allow for ventilation (again, something we can get away with with SoCal weather). Thereafter, the Detectives have been provided with hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to clean off their shoes and gear.
Could you still become infected with Covid after all of that? I guess so.
But this is where I have issues with not being allowed to ask for the vaccination status of my employees.
If you're vaccinated, I think the chances of getting Covid under these circumstances are remote (and even if you do, it's unlikely that you'll end up in the hospital or dead). So, I would likely assign you to this task. If you're not vaccinated (and I don't know it), I believe the chances of getting infected are significantly higher. Why on earth would the state want to put me/itself in such a position?
