A judge in California ruled Friday that state prison guards who work in and around facilities’ health care settings must be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Kern County Superior Court Judge Bernard Barmann’s ruling does not extend to all state prison employees, including guards who work in other settings.
The state Department of Public Health in August had ordered the guards, as well as other prison and jail employees who work in correctional health care settings, to get vaccinated.
The day before the deadline for shots last week, Barmann paused the state’s order for the guards, though not the other employees, as he considered arguments from the California Correctional Peace Officers Association against a vaccine mandate.
In late September, a Federal judge in Oakland ordered a more wide-ranging vaccine mandate for prison guards and correctional workers in California’s prison system.
Two weeks ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta appealed the ruling, taking a rare step away from vaccine mandates.
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