Colorado Department of Corrections officials are revisiting a policy requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees as the department scrambles to fill nearly 1,800 open positions. The vaccine mandate and testing requirements for prison workers remained under administrative review Friday, and a potential rollback could come this week, the DOC confirmed. “Any decisions will be made with […]
vaccine mandate
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Health, News
COVID-related labor laws, from vaccine mandates to paid leave, have Colorado employers confused
As another COVID year comes to a close, there’s confusion among employers who are balancing vaccine requirements with labor shortages and trying to keep up with changes to national, state and local labor laws. Some government mandates are facing challenges in court, but other COVID-related policies, like paid sick leave, will continue into 2022. Providing […]
Posted inEducation, News
Denver reports nearly all school staff vaccinated, but 108 could lose jobs
Nearly all Denver Public Schools employees are now vaccinated following a mandate from the city. Superintendent Alex Marrero said Thursday that 99.1% of the district’s more than 13,700 employees had complied with the city health order to get the COVID-19 shots or an exemption. But 108 employees are set to lose their jobs on Jan. 2 if […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
Did Colorado’s COVID vaccine mandate for health care workers hurt hospital staffing? It’s complicated.
At his hospital on Colorado’s Western Slope, Jeff Mengenhausen sees the strain afflicting hospitals across the state. The ICU at Montrose Memorial Hospital is full — and likely will stay full for months, he said. Every time a bed opens up, a patient gets transferred in to fill it. His workforce is taxed. The hospital […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
A Colorado lawsuit is testing the boundaries of religious exemptions to COVID vaccines
This is a true story about heroes and villains in the age of coronavirus and how no one can agree on who is which. The doctor, one of the protagonists of this story, is a pediatric intensive care specialist in Colorado Springs working with some of the sickest children in the state. She’s unvaccinated against […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Health, News
Judge dismisses Denver police officers’ challenge to city vaccine mandate
A judge on Wednesday dismissed an attempt by a group of Denver police officers to block the city’s vaccine mandate a day before it’s set to take effect. In a lawsuit filed last week, seven officers claimed that the city did not have the authority to impose the mandate under a local disaster emergency declared […]
Posted inEducation, News
Colorado voters split along party lines on mask and vaccine mandates in schools
Colorado parents are deeply divided on mask and vaccine requirements in schools, with Democrats far more likely to support mandates and Republicans largely opposed. Parents as a whole were almost evenly split, with 50% saying masks should not be required and 48% saying they should, within the survey’s margin of error. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis […]