Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey reiterated her call for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for public employees Tuesday during her regular appearance on Boston Public Radio, calling it “just a matter of public safety.”
“Look, you’re there, you’re getting paid by the taxpayer — you have an obligation, whether it’s delivering public health or public safety,” Healey said. “You’re interacting with the public. That’s a part of your job, by definition.”
In some cases, Healey noted, individuals may be exempt from any vaccine requirements due to personal health and religious belief. But she suggested that individuals abstaining on those grounds may effectively forfeit the right to public-sector employment.
“You may have a right to refuse a vaccine,” Healey said. “It may not, though, mean you have a right to a certain job if that job requires you to meet certain standards and qualifications.”
In March, responding to vaccine hesitancy among state police and corrections officers, Healey told Boston Public Radio that vaccines should be mandated for those groups “as a matter of what’s right, practical and common sense.”
Gov. Charlie Baker balked at that the idea on the program two days later, saying, "I don't think we should head down that road until we've actually had a process and a time here where there's far more normalization to the whole idea of getting vaccinated.”
Baker, a Republican, has yet to say whether he’ll seek a third term in 2022. Healey is seen as a possible contender for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
During her appearance Tuesday, Healey urged the public to be wary of various vaccine-related scams, citing fake vaccine cards recently available on the online marketplace OfferUp.
“We immediately called the company to stop these sales,” Healey said. “But I want people to know we’ve seen other kinds of scams, particularly scams that are just attempts to steal your personal information ... emails with fake registration links or phone scams, people pretending to be from the CDC, requests for payment — ‘Sign up with us, give us your information and we’ll fast track a vaccine appointment for you.’
“These are all fake,” Healey said. “Just be really, really sure that you’re double checking … Be sure that you are clicking on or signing up with something that’s legit, and never give out personal information to anybody, especially your financial information, unless you are really, really sure.
Healey also reminded Massachusetts residents getting vaccinated that while they may be asked for personal identification for insurance-billing purposes, they’re not required to furnish it.
“You don’t have to show your ID,” Healey said. “You can’t be denied a vaccine if you don’t have an ID or you don’t choose to provide one.”
