
First, Pennsylvania issues its version of a travel ban. Those in cars entering from other states would be subject to a COVID-19 test within 72 hours and/or a 14-day quarantine.
Now, it's happening at the borders of the Big Apple. Bloomberg reports:
"New York City will have vehicle checkpoints at key bridges and crossings, and will strictly enforce the travel quarantine ..."
Abruptly, similar travel bans could be declared at the borders of myriad other states.
Those were the dots I had to connect about my carefully made plan to relocate from the midwest to Arizona. Yes, I had given the Ohio landlord the required 60-day notice. Yes, I had begun the good-byes with acquaintances. Yes, I had bought a car which could hold up for the 2,000 mile trip.
Then, I envisioned myself, quite realistically, trapped in a motel for 14 days somewhere just within the border of St. Louis, Missouri or Dallas, Texas. Then, it was not unthinkable the whole thing could play out again and again at just inside other state borders.
You bet, I have had to scramble.
Here in OH I went in search for another apartment to rent. Not easy in this era of Landlord Nation. Property managers have the upper hand with demand so high. Few can afford to purchase a house. An Ok, Boomer I had sold the family home years ago. Echoing the Christmas Story, at so many apartment complexes I contacted there was no room at the inn. Or the rent seemed way too high.
Yesterday, I landed a one-bedroom costing more than what I had been paying or what I would have been paying in AZ.
Meanwhile, I feel foolish. And probably look foolish. Those who no longer follow COVID news are unaware of the travel bans. They size up my backing out of relocation as being stuck. Yeahyeahyeah, she's just another one of those who talk up the dream and don't follow it.
Within borders there has also been the return of constraints on socializing. There is lots less to do this holiday season. The Lucas County Public Library, which functions as a Third Place, has been shuttered again. Will the iconic Toledo Museum of Art close? Those in my fav support group fear we will soon be forbidden to meet up in-person.
Floating around is the horror scenario: The majority will refuse to take the COVID vaccine.
A recent University of Michigan survey found that two-thirds of those in Detroit are unlikely to line up for the COVID-19 vaccine. That mirrors public opinion in other locations throughout the U.S.
Of course, there is plenty of legal analysis in the media if vaccination can be made mandatory.
On the federal level, that's unlikely. On the state level, there is the authority to do that and it has been done in the past.
A more likely play-out is to make a long list of whatevers contingent on proof of vaccinations. Those could range from receiving a passport to attending a concert. Recall that in order for us Ok, Boomers to be admitted to those overcrowded classrooms our parents had to pony up the vaccination data.
The biggest issue for most is this: Does their employer have the right to mandate vaccinations? After all, having to go to work essentially is the one ought imposed on most adults, even in a democracy.
Here's the data on this NPR provides:
"The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has stated that employers can legally impose a flu vaccine requirement on their workforce, but employees have the right to request medical or religious exemptions under federal anti-discrimination laws. Each claim must be evaluated on its own merits, a time-consuming process for employers."
There may be COVID fatigue but how it impinges on our lives is a brutal backdrop.
The legal questions generated, especially related to the workplace, are already unfolding. They can shape myriad policies about the Future of Work.
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