California Gov. Gavin Newsom is joining the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in asking a federal court to pause an order requiring correctional staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday.
The state is asking the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to pause the order pending appeal, arguing that implementing it would lead to a mass exodus of correctional officers, according to the newspaper.
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Connie Gipson, who heads adult institutions at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), has reportedly argued in court records that when Washington state implemented a similar mandate, roughly 4.5 percent of the state’s prison staff quit.
Sixty-four percent of CDCR’s 66,480-member workforce is fully vaccinated, and 2 percent are partially vaccinated, according to state data.
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