Many Rhode Island companies that have already committed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates say they’re sticking with their deadlines rather than waiting for President Joe Biden’s new workplace vaccine and testing requirements to be implemented.
Pawtucket toymaker Hasbro Inc., which has about 1,600 workers in the state, will continue to require all its employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine before being allowed to enter its offices. The company has set a mid-October timeline for employees to return to its U.S. offices.
And Woonsocket-based CVS Health Corp., which employs about 8,600 people in Rhode Island, said it is holding firm to its Oct. 31 vaccination deadline for corporate employees and for workers who interact with patients. In-store pharmacists have an additional month to get vaccinated because of the large size of that employee group.
The drug store chain, however, is waiting to learn more about Biden’s mandate as it pertains to its retail workers. “We’ll review the new requirements proposed by the administration and act accordingly,” said spokeswoman Tara Burke.
Biden announced sweeping new federal vaccine requirements on Sept. 9, mandating that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or tested for the virus weekly.
The new policy, for which federal regulators might take weeks to establish rules, has already been met by opposition from businesses, Republican governors and union leaders.
Meanwhile, Gov. Daniel J. McKee last month announced his own version of a vaccine mandate, requiring all health care workers to be vaccinated by Oct. 1. In the face of pushback, McKee offered a compromise, giving staffers at the state-run Eleanor Slater Hospital, R.I. Veterans Home and the R.I. Department of Health laboratory an extra 75 days to get the vaccine.
During that extra time, however, those workers will be placed on leave without pay. After Dec. 15, those who remain unvaccinated could face more severe discipline, including being fired. As of Sept. 14, 18% of the 859 employees at the Eleanor Slater Hospital have yet to be vaccinated, according to state officials.
McKee spokesman Matthew Sheaff said he wouldn’t describe the additional 75 days as an “extension” of the deadline to get vaccinated, given any holdouts would not be allowed to work during that time. He said it’s up to private health care companies to decide whether to offer the same flexibility to employees.
The state’s biggest private hospital systems, Lifespan Corp. and Care New England Health System – which combined employ about 20,000 people – said this week that they are adhering to the Oct. 1 deadline set by McKee and won’t provide any additional time to the roughly 15% of their employees who remain unvaccinated. Anyone who doesn’t have proof of vaccination after Oct. 1 will not be allowed to work for the hospital groups.
Westerly Hospital, which is operated by Connecticut-based Yale New Haven Health System, and Providence hospice group HopeHealth said they have the same policy.
James Nyberg, executive director of LeadingAge Rhode Island, which represents more than 40 nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, was skeptical about the state giving workers a 75-day unpaid extension.
“People on unpaid leave aren’t going to help either party involved,” Nyberg said. “The provider will still have staffing issues. It seems like it’ll be an impact on almost every current provider, in some way, shape or form.”
Marc Larocque is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Larocque@PBN.com.
