WA is reopening but many essential workers aren’t vaccinated yet
How the state chose who to inoculate first raises questions about equity especially for restaurant, grocery and transit workers.
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A man stands amid chairs in a post-vaccination waiting area at Lumen Field Event Center s COVID-19 vaccination site on March 13, 2021. (Matt M. McKnight/Crosscut)
In early March 2020, Julee Richards remembers sitting in stunned silence with her co-workers in the breakroom. COVID-19 had just been declared a global pandemic, and panicked shoppers were starting to swarm the Fred Meyer near Tacoma where Richards works as a cashier.
Over the next few weeks, a number of employees quit out of concern for their safety, leaving Richards and those who remained to manage the crowds on their own. “We barely survived through May,” she said.
Tacoma teacher group plans sick-out over COVID-19 safety concerns for in-person learning Allison Needles, The News Tribune
A group of teachers in Tacoma is planning a sick-out Wednesday to draw attention to their demands for a safe return to in-person learning.
A post on Instagram Sunday by a group called Safe Return Tacoma encouraged Tacoma Public Schools employees to request a sick day, set students up with independent work and join in “mini actions” throughout the day.
“By participating in a sick out on an asynchronous late-start Wednesday, we are having minimal negative impact on students while still being able to send a clear message to the district: look how many of your employees don’t feel safe with your hybrid model!” the post stated.
Parents and Teachers concerned about students returning to classroom
Q13 s AJ Janavel
TACOMA, Wash. - Despite Governor Jay Inslee announcing this week that public schools can open for more in-person learning, some parents and teachers have reservations about sending kids back into the classroom.
Inslee says moving toward more in-person learning is in line with the latest guidelines.
Recently, the CDC released a strategy for reopening schools which includes an emphasis on safety through mask wearing, social distancing, but does not require teachers get vaccinated.
However, some parents are concerned.
Advertisement I’m fearful. She is going to be eating lunch there, unmasked, with up to 14 or 15 other kids in the classroom. Adults aren’t allowed to do that, 14 or 15 different households mixing in one space, said Sarah Tomkinson. That’s crazy. What I would like is for her to remain remote.