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NMI Judiciary mandates COVID-19 vaccinations for employees
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Posted on Nov 03 2021
In light of the recent confirmation of community transmission of COVID-19 on the island of Saipan, the NMI Supreme Court issued an order yesterday requiring all Judiciary employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Under the order, anyone who is not vaccinated will be required to undergo weekly testing before entering the workplace.
The order takes effect Dec. 6, 2021, allowing enough time for personnel to be vaccinated.
In addition to the vaccination and weekly testing requirements, employees must follow COVID-19 preventive measures, which includes wearing face masks, practicing social distancing of no less than six feet, and washing their hands.
Prevention measures, especially the vaccine mandate, are in line with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation: “COVID-19 vaccines currently approved or authorized in the United States have been shown to provide considerable protection against severe disease and death caused by COVID-19. These findings, along with the early evidence for reduced levels of viral mRNA and culturable virus in vaccinated people who acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggest that any associated transmission risk is substantially reduced in vaccinated people: even for delta, evidence suggests fully vaccinated people who become infected are infectious for shorter periods of time than unvaccinated people infected with delta.”1
The Supreme Court’s order follows suit as that of other courts, including Guam, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Maryland and is in line with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission position that “federal EEO laws do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to the reasonable accommodation provisions of Title VII and the ADA and other EEO considerations . . . .”
To access the Supreme Court’s administrative order, visit www.cnmilaw.org. (PR)
