The Supreme Court will Force Millions of Americans into Unsafe Work Environments
WASHINGTON – Americans who lost loved ones to COVID-19 or become seriously ill because of the virus mourned today as the Supreme Court struck down requirements for testing and vaccines for large workplaces and allowed the CMS vaccine requirement to continue. In response to the news, members of COVID Survivors for Change released the following statements.
“Anytime we send Americans into a workplace without proper public safety protocols, we’re saying that the lives of the employees at that business don’t matter,” said Andrea Mulcahy, a member of COVID Survivors for Change in Florida, whose husband, Tim, contracted COVID at work soon after Gov. DeSantis lifted lockdowns in Florida and died weeks later. “The truth is that vaccines and testing keep our families safe. I understand that they’re an inconvenience for some, but that discomfort cannot outweigh the heartbreak I feel each day waking up without my husband. No one should have to choose between keeping their job and risking their lives at work.”
“The speed at which variants are spreading across this country is both terrifying and traumatizing,” said Marjorie Roberts, a member of COVID Survivors for Change in Georgia who contracted COVID at work in March of 2020 and has struggled with chronic symptoms ever since. “Without vaccine requirements and regular testing, more people will die and more will grow chronically ill. It’s heartbreaking that millions of Americans will have to risk their lives to keep their paycheck. We should all do what we can to keep each other safe.”
“Nearly 850,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and yet some of our leaders still refuse to treat this pandemic as the crisis that it is,” said Chris Kocher, executive director of COVID Survivors for Change. “This news is a slap in the face to the millions of families whose lives have become unrecognizable because of the pandemic, as well as those who are still doing everything they can to protect a child too young to be vaccinated or another immunocompromised loved one. This decision will result in more preventable illness and more loss of life. We’re grateful the court upheld the mandate for some healthcare workers, but we needed the court to more fully stand up for our safety and today, the justices failed us.”
ABOUT COVID SURVIVORS FOR CHANGE
COVID Survivors for Change is a nationwide community of survivors fighting for a stronger pandemic response to save lives. We advocate for more support for COVID survivors, demand public health measures to prevent future pandemics, and honor those who died or whose lives have been changed forever because of COVID. We do this by offering trauma-informed resources and programs, sharing and amplifying survivor stories, and taking action to impact legislative and cultural change.
Learn more: https://covidsurvivorsforchange.org
Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/covidsurvivorsforchange or on Twitter at @SurvivorsChange.
Contact: press@covidsurvivorsforchange.org