所罗门群岛骚乱暂无中国公民伤亡报告
11/27/2021
据所罗门群岛警方当地时间11月27日的消息，警方当日在首都霍尼亚拉的中国城附近发现三人死亡，经初步确认，死者非中国公民。
据央视新闻报道，中国驻所罗门群岛大使馆已要求当地警方核实有关情况，并通过当地侨团进行全面排查，截至目前无中国同胞伤亡报告。
所罗门群岛首都霍尼亚拉（Honiara）所在的瓜达尔卡纳尔岛（Guadalcanal），本周三（24日）起连日爆发骚乱。主要来自该国人口最多的岛屿马莱塔岛（Malaita）的抗议者，围攻国会大厦，冲击首都唐人街地区的警察和华人店铺并纵火、抢劫，还游行到中国大使馆。
所罗门群岛总理索加瓦雷（Manasseh Sogavare）接受澳大利亚广播公司（ABC）采访时说，这次冲突背后的“唯一问题”，是围绕该国在2019年将外交承认从台湾转向中国大陆的分歧。
所罗门群岛反华骚乱是大国煽动？
文 / 察客
11/26/2021
太平洋岛国所罗门群岛首都霍尼亚拉（Honiara）所在的瓜达尔卡纳尔岛（Guadalcanal），本周三（24日）起连日爆发骚乱。
主要来自该国人口最多的岛屿马莱塔岛（Malaita）的抗议者，围攻国会大厦，冲击首都唐人街地区的警察和华人店铺并纵火、抢劫，还游行到中国大使馆。有当地居民受访时说，直到今天上午，唐人街的抢劫和焚烧仍在继续。
应所罗门群岛政府要求，澳大利亚昨天（25日）宣布派出军警前往协助平息骚乱。
所罗门群岛总理索加瓦雷（Manasseh Sogavare）接受澳大利亚广播公司（ABC）采访时说，这次冲突背后的“唯一问题”，是围绕该国在2019年将外交承认从台湾转向中国大陆的分歧。“不幸的是，它受到其他大国的影响和鼓动，”他说：“我不想说出他们的名字，我们先不说——但我们都知道他们是谁。”
虽然说了不想点名，索加瓦雷又在访问中补多一句：“那些国家是不希望与中华人民共和国建立关系的国家，他们不鼓励所罗门群岛建立外交关系，并遵守国际法和联合国决议。”
当今世上，是哪个大国现在到处去帮忙台湾挽留邦交国，不鼓励这些国家“与中华人民共和国建立关系”？答案应该是呼之欲出。
彭博社因此评论说，所罗门群岛之乱表明，即使在先前被排除在地缘政治紧张局势之外的世界偏远角落，美国和中国之间的实力比拼也产生了实际的后果。
地缘政治的战争前线
散布于太平洋的岛群，和日本存在一点历史渊源，也向来被美国和盟友澳大利亚、新西兰视为自家势力范围，澳、新尤其是通过发展及教育援助，与这些岛国建立了长期关系。
不过，在过去10年里，中国通过贸易、投资、发展援助以及旅游，扩大了与太平洋岛国的经济联系，逐渐成为该地区的重要力量之一。中国据报向太平洋群岛提供了至少17亿美元的援助和贷款，其中很大一部分用于急需的运输和公用事业基础建设。澳大利亚一度担心，中国有意在该地区建立一个海军基地，加强其在太平洋地区的军事存在。2019年，一家中国公司就签署了租赁所罗门群岛一个岛屿的协议，但该协议后来被所罗门群岛总检察长裁定为非法。
对于北京而言，增加在太平洋岛国的影响力，既有利于获取渔业等资源，更重要的意义，恐怕还是让其有机会在外交上进一步孤立台湾。毕竟，太平洋诸岛国虽然面积小、人口少，主权却普遍受到国际承认，在联合国等国际组织都握有一票。
在台湾目前15个邦交国中，还有超过四分之一、共四国（帕劳、瑙鲁、马绍尔群岛与图瓦卢）位于太平洋地区。台湾总统蔡英文自2016年上任以来，已先后失去七个邦交国，其中两个，就是所罗门群岛和另一个太平洋岛国基里巴斯。也是因为这两个小国的转向，美国、澳大利亚开始密切注意太平洋岛国外交动态，官员频频为台湾发声，并对接受中国援助、贷款之举提出警告。
因此，太平洋岛国也许长期都不是国际外交舞台的焦点，所罗门群岛首任总理的儿子、反对党议员小凯尼洛拉（Peter Kenilorea Jr）上个月在接受印度《星期日卫报》采访时却形容：“地缘政治的战争前线就在我们所罗门群岛这个小国内，甚至深入到所罗门群岛的各省内。”
不过，澳大利亚洛伊研究所太平洋问题专家索拉（Mihai Sora）认为，所国总理索加瓦雷指地缘政治竞争是造成本次首都骚乱的唯一原因，这个说法法过于简单。
地方与中央政府之间的长期对立
本周的骚乱中，许多抗议者都是从马莱塔岛前往首都所在的瓜达尔卡纳尔岛的民众。专家表示，这两个岛屿之间的不满情绪已经酝酿了几十年，主要是由于马莱塔人认为，该岛虽占国家65万人口三分之一，却因为中央政府资源分配不均、缺乏经济支持，使马莱塔成为所罗门岛国最不发达的省份之一。民间组织“霍尼亚拉的马莱塔人”本周发表的声明也指责总理索加瓦雷试图在马莱塔设立“新的傀儡政府”，并称他是“无用的领导人”，要求他下台。
大约20年前，瓜达尔卡纳尔岛和马莱塔岛的民兵之间还打过一场五年内战，以致澳大利亚和新西兰领导的维和部队在2003年至2017年进驻该国。
所罗门群岛2019年9月与台湾断交、转而承认中国大陆，有报道说，北京当时承诺向所国提供价值约5亿美元的财政援助。但所国中央政府的这一决定，却引起马莱塔岛的强烈反弹，马莱塔省省长苏伊达尼（Daniel Suidani）指责总理索加瓦雷收受了北京的贿赂，“将外国人的利益置于所罗门群岛人的利益之上”。
两年多来，马莱塔省不顾中央政府的反对，持续与台湾保持联系，接受台湾与美国的援助，包括冠病疫情期间，台湾向该省提供的个人防护设备和食品等物资援助。不过，这些物资遭到所国中央政府的扣留，也招来北京指责。马莱塔省去年9月因此还宣布要举行独立公投，调查民众对脱离所罗门群岛独立建国的意愿。
在这种情绪下，再加上高度依赖旅游业的太平洋岛国经济模式在冠病疫情期间受到严重冲击，唐人街就成了本次骚乱暴徒破坏、发泄的目标，而这种情况并非第一次发生。2006年所罗门群岛大选后，首都霍尼亚拉也曾爆发骚乱，大部分的唐人街被夷为平地，只是当时的谣言是说与北京有关联的企业操纵了当地选举。
太平洋问题专家索拉认为：“地缘战略竞争本身并不会引发骚乱，骚乱是大国为了讨好当地各方人士而采取的行动引发的——为了追求自己的战略目标而有所偏向，却没有停下来考虑业已存在的、深刻的社会和政治暗流——这对社会凝聚力产生了不稳定的影响。”
所罗门群岛总理指责其他大国煽动反华骚乱
11/26/2021
太平洋岛国所罗门群岛自23日起爆发示威，示威者要求该国总理索加瓦雷（Manasseh Sogavare）下台，索加瓦雷指责是“其他大国”煽动了反华骚乱。
综合澳大利亚广播公司（ABC）、彭博社及路透社报道，索加瓦雷告诉澳大利亚广播公司，这次冲突背后的“唯一问题”，是围绕所罗门群岛在2019年将外交关系从台湾转向中国大陆。他进一步说，“不幸的是，它受到其他大国的影响和鼓动”，并补充道，“我不想说出他们的名字，我们先不说，但我们都知道他们是谁。”
索加瓦雷进一步补充道，“现在影响马莱塔的那些国家是不希望与中华人民共和国建立关系的国家，他们不鼓励所罗门群岛建立外交关系，并遵守国际法和联合国决议。”
据报道，抗争群众绝大多数来自所罗门群岛最大省份马莱塔省（Malaita）。马莱塔省近来与所罗门群岛中央政府的关系趋于紧张，主要原因在于所罗门群岛于2019年宣布于中国大陆建交，并与台湾断交。不过，与台湾保有密切联系的马莱塔省政府拒绝承认中国大陆。
据当地媒体《所罗门群岛先驱报》24日在推特上报道，示威者在首都霍尼亚拉（Honiara）的唐人街放火焚烧建筑物，破坏华人经营的商店，并朝中国大使馆的方向前进。当地一名居民说，截至今天上午，唐人街的抢劫和焚烧仍在继续，警方动用了催泪瓦斯，预计晚些时候将实施新的宵禁。
索加瓦雷已向澳大利亚寻求帮助。澳大利亚今天派遣约75名国防部队士兵和联邦警察以及一艘巡逻艇，以支持防暴和保护关键基础设施。澳大利亚总理莫里森昨天表示，安全部队的目的是“安定局势”，而不是在“内部问题”上采取立场，并说他没有看到外部力量卷入冲突的证据。目前澳大利亚开始控制霍尼亚拉。
当地中国大使馆也已发布声明，要求所方采取一切必要措施，加强对中国企业和人员保护，维护中国企业和公民的安全和合法权益，并警告中国公民减少不必要的外出。
彭博社报道分析，这场冲突表明，即使在先前被排除在地缘政治紧张局势之外的世界一个偏远角落，美国和中国之间的实力比拼也产生了实际的后果。
不过，澳大利亚智库洛伊国际政策研究所的太平洋地缘政治专家索拉（Mihai Sora）认为，索加瓦雷关于地缘政治紧张局势是冲突背后唯一原因的说法过于简单，他认为各省与中央政府之间长期存在不满。他进一步解释，“霍尼亚拉的马莱塔人”本周发表的声明没有提及台湾，而是指责索加瓦雷试图在马莱塔设立“新的傀儡政府”，并称他是“无用的领导人”。
台湾外交部发言人欧江安今天在向路透社提供一份声明中说，台湾与所罗门群岛这次的骚乱无关。
所罗门群岛爆发示威 唐人街建筑物遭纵火
11/26/2021
太平洋岛国所罗门群岛自昨天起爆发示威，示威者要求总理索加瓦雷（Manasseh Sogavare）下台，并在首都霍尼亚拉（Honiara）的唐人街放火焚烧建筑物。
Nov 25, 2021
当地时间11月24日，所罗门群岛首都霍尼亚拉发生游行示威。
25日下午，在当地经商的华人伍女士告诉记者，当地华人店铺遭到暴力分子打砸抢烧，财产损失严重。伍女士表示，暴力活动发生以后，当地警力明显不足，一些华人正在组织自救。伍女士称，目前暴力活动仍在持续，当地政府已宣布实施宵禁，人员不得外出。
“这两天过得人心惶惶”，伍女士说，目前她在亲戚家避难，安全有保障。
中国驻所罗门群岛大使馆24日也发布通知，提醒中国公民加强安全防范。使馆已第一时间向所政府和警方表达严重关切并提出交涉，要求所方采取一切必要措施，加强对中国企业和人员保护，维护中国企业和公民的安全和合法权益。
综合路透社和新西兰国家广播电台今天（25日）报道，许多示威者来自人口第一大省马莱塔（Malaita），而该省民众前往霍尼亚拉的目的，是要表达对所罗门政府忽视马莱塔的关切。
Protesters burn down police station in the Solomon Islands
《所罗门群岛先驱报》昨天（24日）在推特上报道，示威者破坏华人经营的商店，并朝中国大使馆的方向前进。
所罗门群岛2019年与台北断交，并决定与北京建交，但马莱塔省不满所罗门政府的这项决定，因此在去年宣布举办独立公投，但所罗门政府指这项公投不合法。
Nov 25, 2021
11月24日，1000多人在所罗门群岛首都霍尼亚拉举行示威，要求所总理索加瓦雷辞职，所罗门议会和华人商铺遭袭。
对此，外交部发言人赵立坚在25日的例行记者会上表示，中方高度关注所罗门群岛当前事态发展，支持所罗门群岛政府止暴制乱的努力。相信在索加瓦雷总理领导下，所政府能尽快恢复社会秩序和稳定，我们对一些中国公民和中资机构遇袭表示严重关切，已要求所政府采取一切必要措施，保护在所中国公民和机构安全。
另据澳大利亚广播公司报道，台湾曾向马莱塔省提供个人防护装备、食品等物资，以对抗冠病疫情。马莱塔省长苏达尼（Daniel Suidani）今年5月也前往台湾接受治疗。
所罗门也曾在2006年爆发大规模示威，导致霍尼亚拉的多家由华人经营的企业遭烧毁，商品遭掠夺。
澳洲报告：没接种疫苗者的重症或死亡概率比接种者高16倍
文 / 陈慧璋
11/09/2021
（早报讯）澳大利亚新南威尔士州发表的报告显示，未接种冠病疫苗者感染冠病后进入加护病房或死于冠病的概率是已接种者的16倍，该州官员为此呼吁民众尽早接种疫苗。
根据新州周一（8日）晚发布的报告，在截至10月初的四个月内，因感染德尔塔变种毒株而病逝的412人当中，只有11%是完成两剂疫苗接种的；因冠病去世者的平均年龄为82岁。
数据也显示，进入加护病房的人当中，完成两剂疫苗接种者仅占3%。在今年6月16日至10月7日检测到的六万多名冠病患者当中，未接种疫苗者占了63%以上。
新州首席卫生官钱特在一份声明中说：“接种两剂疫苗的年轻人感染率较低，而且几乎没有出现任何严重症状，而未接种疫苗的年轻人感染冠病和需要住院的风险都更高。”
澳洲这份报告的发现与美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）的发现相一致，美国CDC在9月表示，没有接种疫苗的人死于冠病的可能性比完成疫苗接种者高出11倍。
澳洲至今累计冠病死亡病例为1841起，累计冠病确诊病例近18万3000起，其中约87%的确诊病例都是感染了德尔塔变种毒株。澳洲今年的冠病死亡率低于去年，主要是因为自今年7月以来，澳洲的疫苗接种率迅速上升。
New data from NSW reveals unvaccinated people 16 times more likely to die of Covid
Data from NSW’s Delta outbreak has been laid bare, with figures showing how much more dangerous it is to be unvaccinated.
By Mitchell Van Homrigh
11/09/2021
New figures released by the NSW government show unvaccinated people in the state have been 16 times more likely to die or be seriously sick than those vaccinated against Covid during the Delta outbreak.
The data, included in NSW Health’s latest In Focus report, was compiled from June 16 to October 7 and covers the peak of the outbreak in Sydney. There were 61,000 cases of Covid in this period, with 412 people dying.
Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said the data proved hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and deaths were far lower among vaccinated people.
“The COVID-19 Delta outbreak has been the biggest challenge the state has faced during the pandemic because of its transmissibility,” she said.
“COVID-19 cases peaked from 25 August to 7 September, with the rate among fully vaccinated people at 49.5 per 100,000, while in unvaccinated people it was 561 per 100,000, a more than tenfold difference.
“Notably, young people with two doses of a vaccine experienced lower rates of infection and almost no serious disease, while those unvaccinated in this age group were at greater risk of developing COVID-19 and needing hospitalization.”
Of the 412 deaths over the relevant period, only 11 per cent (47 people) had received two doses of a vaccine. Of those 47 people, the average age was 82 and 29 were residents of aged care facilities. The other 18 had serious underlying health issues.
More than half (63 per cent) of the 61,000 recorded cases of Covid were found in unvaccinated people. A further 22 per cent were among people whose vaccination status was unknown, but who had no doses recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register.
Just 9 per cent of cases had a single dose of vaccine, and 6 per cent were fully vaccinated.
Of the 1305 cases admitted to the ICU in NSW, just 3 per cent (30 people) were fully vaccinated. Twenty-six of them had significant underlying health conditions.
In the peak fortnight of the outbreak, from September 8 to September 21, the rate of Covid ICU admissions or deaths reached 0.9 per 100,000 people among the fully vaccinated compared to 15.6 per 100,000 among the unvaccinated.
Dr Chant praised the state’s residents for coming forward in large numbers to get vaccinated, and urged the stragglers to follow suit.
“It is incredibly important people come forward for vaccination as soon as possible, especially young people aged 12 to 15 years old,” she said.
“Vaccinations are safe, effective, and free from our NSW Health vaccination clinics, GPs and pharmacies.”
You can read the full NSW Health report yourself here.
「恐影响疫苗效力」CDC：儿童接种前 勿先服用止痛药
世界新闻网
11/04/2021
联邦当局日前批准5岁至11岁儿童接种新冠疫苗，不过根据联邦疾病防治中心(CDC)更新的指南，除了呼吁家长们尽快为孩子预约，最重要的是提醒儿童在接种疫苗前不要服用任何止痛药。
有些家长可能为了减缓儿童接种疫苗的副作用，让孩子们事先服用止痛药；但CDC表示，止痛药在儿童体内对疫苗会产些哪些作用还不得而知，恐影响疫苗效力。
5至11岁儿童接种的新冠疫苗剂量为一般成人的三分之一，不过儿童仍可能产生一些副作用，严重甚至影响日常活动能力，但几天后就会消退。
当局建议，若真有其必要性，家长可在孩子打完疫苗后与家庭医师讨论，请他们开立不含阿斯匹灵(non-aspirin)的止痛药；根据CDC网站的说明，阿斯匹灵不建议给18以下未成年使用。
另外，家长们还可通过一些方式自行为孩子缓解疼痛，例如在疫苗接种处敷上凉爽的湿布。
知名医疗机构马友诊所(Mayo Clinic)的网站上也写道，儿童接种疫苗前，家长切勿给他们服用非处方开立的止痛药；但接种后可多加评估。
该诊所指出，12岁以下儿童接种疫苗的副作用与16岁青少年相似，常见的症状包括接种处疼痛、疲劳、头痛、畏寒、肌肉和关节酸痛、发烧、淋巴结肿大、恶心和食欲不振；但就像成人接种疫苗的反应，这些副作用通常只会持续一至三天。
CDC也提醒家长，为避免儿童出现晕现的情况，建议接种疫苗时可坐下或平躺，并在接种完成后观察15至30分钟。
CDC更新指南还补充，已感染过新冠肺炎的民众仍应接种疫苗；不过染疫期间曾服用过默克药厂(Merck)「单株抗体」(monoclonal antibody)药物的患者，须等90天以上再接种。
Boy, 7, dies in fire as FDNY faces vaccine mandate ‘sickout’
By Peter Aitken | Fox News
10/30/2021
A seven-year-old boy died and his grandmother was seriously injured in an apartment fire in New York City as the FDNY deals with staff shortages in response to a vaccine mandate.
Firefighters responded to a 1:30 a.m. call Saturday at a building in Washington Heights, where fire broke out in the building superintendent’s basement apartment. First responders quickly contained and extinguished the fire.
Five people were inside the apartment at the time, including Robert Resto, 7, the super’s grandson, and the super’s wife, 54.
Resto was pronounced dead inside the apartment, ABC 7 reported. The super’s wife was taken to Jacobi Hospital and listed in serious condition.
Resto was found hidden under a bed severely burned.
The fire ignited as firefighters across the city called in sick Friday, but the FDNY said it hadn’t closed any firehouses due to staffing shortages.
City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said it was “unacceptable” for “a group of our firefighters” to demonstrate their anger at the citywide vaccine mandate in a way that “may endanger the lives of New Yorkers.”
“Despite these actions by some, the department will continue to respond to all calls for help that come our way,” Nigro promised.
FDNY officials insist the “sickout” did not affect response times to Saturday’s fire, the New York Daily News reported. Firefighters arrived within four minutes.
By Monday, any FDNY employee who has not received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine will be sent home without pay.
Around 72% of the city’s firefighters and 84% of medical first responders had at least one dose of the vaccine as of Friday night.
抗议疫苗强制令 纽约市26消防站因成员「病假」关闭
世界新闻网
10/30/2021
市府雇员强制接种疫苗令将于11月1日(周一)生效，引得一线救援部门呛声连连，并面临严重人员短缺及调配难题；消防局局长尼格罗(Daniel Nigro)表示，成员们为了抗议强制规定已开始使用带薪病假，30日全市已有26家消防站因多数成员「病假」而关闭，华埠、小意大利辖区的55号消防站就位列其中。
尼格罗在一份声明中写道，在29日晚已有九家消防站由于成员「过度病假」而不得不停止服务，但仅过了一晚的时间，截止30日早7时30分，已有多达26个消防站关闭；而本周正值万圣节周末，相比去年的冷清，今年外出狂欢的人潮格外显眼，响应紧急事件需要一线救援人员的随时待命。
根据市府的规定，市府雇员须在29日下午5时前递交接种至少一针疫苗证明，否则将从下月1日起强制无薪休假，这项规定将影响逾16万尚未接种的雇员。
市长白思豪(Bill de Blasio)29日晚在推特更新称，已经有72%的消防局成员接种了疫苗。
一名消防局内部人士称，如果成员请病假，就必须要医务室报到。30日有20几名消防员被看到一同走出了布鲁克林下城MetroTech的消防局医疗办公室。
消防员工会主席安斯博罗(Andy Ansbro)在此前的抗议集会上表示，没有接种疫苗的成员不要理会市长的命令，11月1日继续上班。
但尼格罗表示，如今的困境是许多成员为了抗议规定，开始使用带薪病假在家静观事态发展，部门恐关闭40%的消防站并减少每天150辆待命的救护车，当局必须采取一切手段保证消防局正常运转，通过加班、调整工时等方法尽力弥补。
在一份消防局29日发送给成员的备忘录中显示，正在就延长最后期限和提供多种选择与劳动关系办公室(Office of Labor Relations)进行谈判，但仍建议成员无论接种与否，都要按时报到，并在消防工作日志上备注原因。
而白思豪坚称这项新规没有商讨余地(non-negotiable)，「我们不会再讨论更改接种疫苗的最终期限。」
据纽约邮报报导，就29日晚在布鲁克林一起大火给消防局的24小时新闻专线打了78分钟电话，但无人接听，电邮也无人回复。
共和党执政11州提诉讼 告拜登疫苗强制令违宪
中央社
10/30/2021
美国由共和党籍州长治理的11州今天对总统拜登政府提告，以图阻止拜登对联邦承包商下达的COVID-19疫苗强制施打令；理由是这项命令违宪，而且违反联邦采购法。
Oct 30, 2021
路透报导，拜登9月9日下达2项行政命令，规定全体联邦政府员工及联邦承包商都必须接种COVID-19（2019冠状病毒疾病）疫苗。
阿肯色、阿拉斯加、密苏里、爱阿华、蒙大拿、内布拉斯加、新罕布什尔、北达科他、南达科他和怀俄明等10州已向密苏里州东区联邦地方法院提起联合诉讼；另德州单独提起相同诉讼，佛罗里达州也在昨天提告。
今天提出的诉讼引据一项关于各州权力的宪法修正案和关于政府采购的联邦法律，指相关强制令「范围笼统」、「违宪且非法」。
爱阿华州州长雷诺兹（Kim Reynolds）在推特上传的影片中表示，强制令「滥权，我们不支持」。
他说：「这只会使阻碍经济复苏的劳动力短缺和供应链问题更加严重，并加剧政府对我们生活前所未有的干预。」
白宫规定，12月8日是联邦承包商员工接种疫苗的最后期限，但又表示，承包商在运行期限上可有弹性。
根据美国疾病管制暨预防中心（CDC）统计，全美约58%人口已完整接种2剂疫苗，66%以上已接种一剂。
Republican-led states ramp up legal challenges to Biden’s vaccine mandate
More than 10 states sued the Biden administration on Friday over forthcoming vaccine rules for federal contractors.
By Dartunorro Clark
10/30/2021
A growing number of GOP-led states are challenging President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors that’s slated to take effect in the coming weeks.
A coalition of 10 states filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking the block the rule, with Texas filing a separate suit. The legal challenges come a day after Florida filed a similar lawsuit.
“The federal government does not have the ability to strip individuals of their choice to get a vaccine or not. If the President thinks his patience is wearing thin, he is clearly underestimating the lack of patience from Texans whose rights he is infringing,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement Friday.
The attorneys general in Missouri and Nebraska — Eric Schmitt and Doug Peterson, respectively — filed their lawsuit with eight other states: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. The officials argue that the Biden “exercised power far beyond what was delegated to the federal government by constitutional mandate or congressional action.”
The central argument in all three lawsuits is that the administration has no legal grounds to mandate such a sweeping requirement and that its implementation would violate a federal procurement law.
Oct 29, 2021
Biden announced the mandate for federal workers and contractors last month, when he also put in motion a rule that would require vaccinations or regular testing for employees of companies that have at least 100 workers. Federal contractors, however, would not be allowed to opt for testing instead of getting vaccinated.
Each state is seeking an immediate injunction to the rule, which is scheduled to take effect Dec. 8.
Public health experts have pointed to vaccinations as the most effective way to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
In September, Biden called on Republican governors to help combat the virus, but added, “if these governors won’t help us beat the pandemic, I’ll use my power as president to get them out of the way.”
Many Republican governors have fought the administration over its Covid-19 policies, from resisting mask mandates to banning private sector efforts to require proof of vaccination.
Earlier this month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order prohibiting any entity, including private businesses, from imposing Covid-19 vaccine requirements on employees or customers. Abbott said at the time that vaccines “should remain voluntary and never forced.”
Raytheon CEO warns company could lose ‘several thousand’ employees over vaccine mandate
By Mike Brest
10/27/2021
Raytheon Technologies’s top boss warned that the U.S. aerospace and defense company will lose thousands of employees who have thus far refused to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
“So, we’re going to be faced on Dec. 8 with a choice. We’re going to potentially lose several thousand people who refuse to be vaccinated,” Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes said in a CNBC interview on Tuesday. “Now, this is a tough thing, but we are preparing for it.”
Hayes also said that 83% of the company, which has a total workforce of roughly 125,000 U.S. employees, according to Reuters, is already vaccinated while another 6% are “in the process of being vaccinated.”
Additionally, there is another 3% of employees who are seeking either a religious or medical exemption, while another 3% have said they don’t intend to receive the vaccine, the CEO added, though he did not address the status of the employees who do not fall into those categories.
The company has already begun hiring people to fill the upcoming vacancies, Hayes said.
Raytheon had issued a companywide mandate requiring vaccination by Jan. 1, but that order was usurped when President Joe Biden declared that all federal contractors must receive the vaccine by Dec. 8.
Hayes’s comments came the same day Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville sent a letter to the White House claiming that Biden’s “federal contractor vaccine mandate will have negative effects on our national security” and called on the president “to remove — or, at a minimum, delay and clarify — vaccination requirements on private companies and academic research institutions that are actively supporting the Department of Defense.”
Similarly, nearly a dozen Republican lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee petitioned the White House and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to reverse the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate for contractors over fears that it could lead to supply chain issues.
Roughly 100 employees at United Launch Alliance, a Lockheed Martin and Boeing joint venture that contracts to both the Pentagon and NASA, walked off the job Monday over the federal government’s vaccine mandates and pledged to continue protesting in the days leading up to the deadline to be vaccinated.
Former WSU football coach Nick Rolovich to sue university over firing after refusing vaccine
According to a press release sent by his attorney, Rolovich is accusing WSU Athletic Director Pat Chun of “discriminatory and vindictive behavior.”
By KREM Staff
10/20/2021
PULLMAN, Wash. — Former Washington State University football coach Nick Rolovich was fired Tuesday, Oct. 19 after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and now he plans to sue the university.
According to his lawyer, Rolovich will be taking legal action against WSU and all parties responsible for his termination. The decision to terminate Rolovich came after his request for a religious exemption from the vaccine was denied by the WSU. According to his lawyer, WSU “indicated that even if the exemption had been granted, no accommodation would have been made.”
Rolovich is accusing WSU Athletic Director Pat Chun of “discriminatory and vindictive behavior,” according to the statement from his lawyer, Brian Fahling.
“Since at least early April, it became clear that Chun had already determined that Coach Rolovich would be fired,” Fahling says. “Chun’s animus towards Coach Rolovich’s sincerely held religious beliefs, and Chun’s dishonesty at the expense of Coach Rolovich during the past year is damning and will be thoroughly detailed in litigation.”
In the statement, Fahling says, “Chun’s discriminatory and vindictive behavior has caused immeasurable harm to Rolovich and his family. It is a tragic and damning commentary on our culture, and more specifically, on Chun, that Rolovich has been derided, demonized, and ultimately fired from his job, merely for being devout in his Catholic faith.”
Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, has encouraged people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Here is the statement from Rolovich’s lawyer in full:
“The termination of Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich on Monday was unjust and unlawful.
It came after Coach Rolovich’s request for a religious exemption from the vaccine was denied by the University. The institution also indicated that even if the exemption had been granted, no accommodation would have been made. As a result, Coach Rolovich will be taking legal action against Washington State University, and all parties responsible for his illegal termination.
Immediately after terminating Coach Rolovich, WSU Athletic Director, Pat Chun, directed campus police to escort the coach to his car, he wasn’t allowed into his office, and he was not even allowed to speak to his team. Since at least early April, it became clear that Chun had already determined that Coach Rolovich would be fired. Chun’s animus towards Coach Rolovich’s sincerely held religious beliefs, and Chun’s dishonesty at the expense of Coach Rolovich during the past year is damning and will be thoroughly detailed in litigation.
Chun’s discriminatory and vindictive behavior has caused immeasurable harm to Coach Rolovich and his family. Furthermore, the University’s deceitfulness about being unable to accommodate Coach Rolovich even if his religious exemption request had been granted, is exemplified by Chun’s actions arranging a “secret” donor trip that he had Coach Rolovich attend at the height of the pandemic in July 2020.
During that excursion, Chun and other attendees contracted the disease, but Coach Rolovich did not. It is a tragic and damning commentary on our culture, and more specifically, on Chun, that Coach Rolovich has been derided, demonized, and ultimately fired from his job, merely for being devout in his Catholic faith.”
KREM has reached out to WSU for a statement but has not yet received a response.
320万年薪傲视全州公务员 华盛顿州立大学教练拒打疫苗遭开除
10/20/2021
华盛顿州立大学(Washington State University，WSU)足球队总教练罗洛维奇(Nick Rolovich)年薪320万元，在领取州政府薪水的公务员收入排行榜称霸。但因罗洛维奇拒绝遵守华州要求公务员必须接种新冠疫苗的规定，本周稍早已被开除。华盛顿邮报报导，罗洛维奇堪称到目前为止，最为引人注目的公职人员拒打疫苗而丢饭碗案例。
华盛顿州立大学18日宣布已经解聘罗洛维奇。华盛顿州立大学美洲狮队(Washington State Cougars)体育主任秦派特(Pat Chun，音译)指出，罗洛维奇拒绝配合疫苗接种规定，已经失去获得校方聘用的资格。
秦派特在声明中说，这起事件让学校足球队感到沮丧。
42岁的罗洛维奇出身于夏威夷大学(University of Hawaii)足球队，2019年曾获西部山区联盟(Mountain West Conference)最佳教练。罗洛维奇年薪320万元，是领取华州州政府薪水的公务员当中排行最高者。
罗洛维奇今年暑假已经表明坚决不打疫苗，太平洋十二校联盟(Pacific-12 Conference)在洛杉矶举办媒体宣传，由于规定全体出席者必须打疫苗，罗洛维奇便因此缺席。
秦派特指出，校方与罗洛维奇协商长达数月，但罗洛维奇态度坚定，「他有权做出选择，他的决定就是不配合规定」。
华盛顿州立大学校长薛尔兹(Kirk Schulz)则在声明中说，虽然少数人士拒打疫苗而引发轩然大波，但学校接近90%雇员及97%学生则都打了疫苗。
薛尔兹说：「人们可以做选择，而且有好几个月的时间可以决定。这并不是突然发生的。」
除了罗洛维奇之外，华盛顿州立大学美洲狮队另外四名助理教练罗戈(Ricky Logo)、理查森(John Richardson)、史特兹曼(Craig Stutzmann)、韦伯(Mark Weber)，同样因为拒打疫苗，一并遭到开除。
美国ESPN知名体育记者拒打疫苗被开除
本文源自: 金融界网
10/20/2021
迪士尼旗下娱乐与体育节目电视网（ESPN）的知名记者艾莉森-威廉姆斯（Allison Williams）周一表示，她因为拒绝接种新冠病毒疫苗而被解雇，下周将是她在这里工作的的最后日子。
这位明星记者最出名的是她对美国大学橄榄球和篮球比赛的报道，她在社交媒体上的一段视频中说，她要求豁免不接种疫苗的请求被拒绝了。
威廉姆斯从2011年3月开始为ESPN工作。上个月，她在推特上发表声明称，在咨询了医生后，她拒绝接种疫苗，因为她和她的丈夫正试图生第二个孩子，接种疫苗“不符合我的最佳利益”。
ESPN的母公司迪士尼是众多要求员工接种疫苗的企业之一。该公司在一份声明中说，不会对威廉姆斯的个案置评。迪士尼表示，公司正在按照其法律义务，处理员工提出的豁免要求。
ESPN’s Allison Williams explains why she’s giving up her job over a vaccine mandate
By ANDREA HSU
10/20/2021
Lance King/Getty Images
ESPN college basketball and football reporter Allison Williams has joined a small minority of workers who have quit or been fired from their jobs over a vaccine mandate.
“I have been denied my request for accommodation by ESPN and the Walt Disney Company, and effective next week, I will be separated from the company,” she said in a video posted to Instagram on Friday.
ESPN’s parent company, Disney, had announced a vaccine mandate over the summer with a deadline of this Friday, Oct. 22.
In early September, Williams shared on Twitter that she’d decided not to get a COVID-19 vaccine while she and her husband were trying to have a second child.
“Taking the vaccine at this time is not in my interest,” she wrote.
The CDC has urged people who are pregnant or might become pregnant to get vaccinated, saying there is currently no evidence showing COVID-19 vaccines cause fertility problems and no data pointing to an increased risk of miscarriage among people who received an mRNA vaccine during pregnancy.
In the Instagram video, Williams spoke of her medical apprehensions about receiving the vaccine and added, “I am also so morally and ethically not aligned with this.”
“Ultimately, I cannot put a paycheck over principle, and I will not sacrifice something that I believe and hold so strongly to maintain a career,” she said in the video. “I’m going to pray things get better and that I can see you on the television set in some capacity in some stadium, covering some game soon.”
Williams, who had reported for ESPN since 2011, acknowledged she’s not the only one walking away from a career or a profession they love.
Hundreds of hospital workers have quit rather than get vaccinated, but they represent only a tiny fraction of employees overall. For example, Duke Health in North Carolina reported it had fired just 20 people out of a workforce of 23,000.
Meanwhile, United Airlines said it is terminating a couple of hundred of its 67,000 employees who did not comply with the airline’s vaccine mandate. Other employers that have imposed vaccine mandates are also reporting compliance rates topping 90%.
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Veteran police officer resigns over vaccine mandate in chronically understaffed department
The department has chronically been understaffed and more officers could resign over the mandate
By Emma Colton | Fox News
9/21/2021
A nearly 30-year police veteran in California resigned over San Jose’s vaccine mandate as the police force continues struggling with chronic understaffing.
“First of all, it’s my religious belief. I also believe I’ve been given a choice about what to do with my body,” Sgt. David Gutierrez said after he resigned from the San Jose Police Department this weekend, KPIX reported.
Gutierrez spent 23 years with the San Jose Police Department working as a homicide detective, internal affairs investigator and patrol supervisor, before retiring in 2019. He then returned to the force as a reserve officer.
Gutierrez worked his last shift at the department on Saturday, and said he sent a letter to the city manager on Monday denouncing the city’s vaccine mandate, which requires city employees to show proof of vaccination or get a medical exemption. Those who don’t comply face disciplinary action, such as termination.
“Disciplinary action is when you have done something wrong,” Gutierrez said, according to NBC Bay Area. “I have done nothing wrong – by making a choice not to be vaccinated why would you be disciplined?”
Gutierrez added that he is not anti-vaccine and would be open to the city testing him on a weekly basis instead of enforcing the vaccine or getting a medical exemption.
“I’m not anti-vaccine. I don’t tell people, ‘You shouldn’t get it.’ But when it comes to my body, it’s my choice about what I want to put in my body,” Gutierrez said.
He sent his resignation letter ahead of the city’s Sept. 30 deadline for employees to get the vaccine, and said more officers could also walk off the job amid the department already facing understaffing issues.
“We are already understaffed and can’t afford to lose more,” Gutierrez said.
“If they let go police officers who’ve been here five years, 10 years, 15 years, you can hire somebody else, but you’re not going to hire that experience though,” he added.
A recent audit examining the last 10 years of the police department found the force has heavily relied on overtime as it struggles with understaffing.
About 200 officers in the department have so far asked for exemptions, many of which are for religious purposes. But the Democratic mayor, Sam Liccardo, says the vaccine mandate is overall working and doesn’t anticipate an exodus from the force.
“This is certainly for the protection of the individual members of our city team. But it’s also, critically, for the safety of our entire community because we know, obviously, first responders are out there interacting [with the public] every day,” Liccardo said, according to KPIX.
Northern NY hospital to stop delivering babies after resignations over Covid-19 vaccine
BY Christine Vendel
9/12/2021
A hospital in New York plans to stop delivering babies later this month because too many maternity workers resigned rather than get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Lewis County Health System Chief Executive Officer Gerald R. Cayer announced at a news conference Friday afternoon that the maternity department would be closed on Sept. 25 until they can find enough vaccinated nurses to safely reopen it.
Cayer told reporters in Lowville, is the North Country of New York state, that seven of the 30 people who have resigned from the hospital worked in the maternity department, according to the news site NNY360.
Seven additional maternity workers have not said whether or not they will get their first vaccine shot by Sept. 27, which is the deadline set by the state for healthcare workers to get at least one shot, according to the news site.
The health system has a higher than average percentage of its staff vaccinated, Cayer told reporters, with 464 employees vaccinated out of 650, or 73 percent.
But there are still 165 employees who have not yet shared their decision with hospital management, WWNY television news reported.
Medical services in five other departments may have to be cut back as well if more staff members resign because they refuse to be vaccinated
“It just is a crazy time,” Mr. Cayer said, according to NNY360, “It’s not just LCHS-centric. Rural hospitals everywhere are really trying to figure out how we’re going to make it work.”
“If you don’t have staff, how do you deliver the service? That’s what I’m going to be talking about,” Cayer said.
The Health System is one of only two county-owned hospitals left in the state and is the largest employer in the county.
