President Joe Biden has decreed that employers of over 100 and those with federal contracts must mandate that their employees get the COVID vaccination. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has said that she is against the mandate but failed to ban it in a weak executive order. She also failed to include a mandate bill in her call for a special session on redistricting.
Auburn head football coach Bryan Harsin contracted COVID in August. He recovered. That likely means he is immune.
Harsin is being asked if he is vaccinated. He has exercised his right to make no comment.
If the vaccine mandate winds up interfering with SEC football right at the climax of the season, there will be an uprising like you never saw. Can you imagine if they fire coaches and staff right before the Iron Bowl, traditional rivalry games, and the SEC championship game?
No one should be threatened with losing their job if they make a personal decision about their own healthcare. This mandate is now putting thousands of Alabama workers at risk for their livelihood, retirement benefits, and insurance.
Gov. Ivey needs to quickly look at what is being done by Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida and Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas. She needs to simply ban vaccine mandates in Alabama. If the Feds take Alabama to court, we can fight it there while our workers remain on the job.
Jim Zeigler, Alabama State Auditor
