Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said mandating vaccines is a tricky spot to be in, between not wanting to scare people to go back to work with a rising number in COVID-19 cases and not wanting to pressure vaccines on those who don’t want it.
“I don’t expect that mandates that come from employers will meaningfully impact the unemployment rate,” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said.
This week Nationwide Children’s Hospital, OhioHealth, Mount Carmel and the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center announced they will require COVID vaccinations for employees, staff and providers.
“Most employers have taken the pathway of incentives, not on punishment,” Husted said. “And what we’re seeing most employers do is say ‘Hey, we want to create a safe workplace for our customers, for employees…we know the vaccination works…we’re going to offer payments, bonuses [and] drawing to help give people incentives to get vaccinated’.”
Husted said all the state can do is provide the best information to the public and businesses and hope they use it.
“We’re a smart, practical group of people in this state who understand what the rules are, what the risks are and they will make good choices,” Husted said.
In the end, Husted said most employers will likely not mandate vaccinations and, instead, will listen to their employees for a consensus.
The state’s unemployment rate as reported by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services was up to 5.2% in the month of June. With mandates expected to take place in the coming months, some say that could cause the rate to go up.
“Can the state handle that kind of uptick in unemployment?” 10TV’s Bryant Somerville asked Husted.
“I don’t believe that any of these circumstances are going to create an uptick,” Husted said. “The decisions of a couple of employers will have a negligible effect on this.”