Massachusetts expands COVID-19 vaccination requirements

BOSTON (AP) All employees at Massachusetts’ rest homes, assisted living residences, and hospice programs, as well as workers who provide in-home direct care services, are required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Oct. 31, the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday.

The plan expands on an announcement by Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration last month that workers at skilled nursing facilities are required to get vaccinated.

The order is intended to protect older residents against COVID-19, the state said.

It affects workers at 62 freestanding rest homes and 268 assisted living residences, as well as 85 hospice programs and up to 100,000 home care workers. It also applies to contractors who work in such facilities.

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The plan is subject to state Public Health Council approval.

Exemptions will be granted for people with a medical condition that prevents them from receiving a vaccination or with a sincerely held religious belief, the agency said.

An industry group, the Massachusetts Assisted Living Association, lauded the plan.

“We applaud this decision to protect everyone in Massachusetts assisted living communities — staff, residents, and their families. While most assisted living staff are vaccinated, this will further reinforce the safe and healthy environment that high rates of vaccination and robust infection control policies have helped us achieve,” organization President and CEO Brian Doherty said in a statement.