Montclair City Hall workers in California have been told to wear stickers proving that they are fully vaccinated if they want to work without wearing masks, in a move that's sparked concerns about people's rights and medical confidentiality.
The measure came into effect on Monday, following a decision last month by the state's Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to back allowing vaccinated staff in many workplaces to stop wearing masks.
Cal/OSHA said that employers must document the vaccination status of staff wanting to be free of face coverings indoors. However, employers aren't required to keep copies of vaccine cards and it's up to workers to declare what their inoculation status is, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Councilman Ben Lopez has opposed the policy, and said it was like disclosing one's medical history to those around you, which could lead to potential lawsuits.
"I think it basically upends an employee's right to privacy in keeping certain aspects of their medical history private," he told Fox News LA.
City workers the network interviewed said they were happy to sport the little round yellow stickers that say "fully vaccinated," with Mayor John Dutrey telling Fox he had not received any complaints from staff members or residents.
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However, Lopez did ask for the policy not to be put in place until the City Council could discuss it internally, but it was approved by the district attorney anyway, the LA Times reported.
Dutrey said that the issue would continue to be discussed during a council session on August 2. Newsweek has contacted Lopez and Dutrey for further comment.
In June, California's health department unveiled digital vaccine cards allowing people to access their vaccination status online. They would then be able to get a QR code that can be scanned by venues and businesses that want proof people have received their jabs.
Authorities in the state are grappling with a new surge in COVID, with medical experts expressing alarm that the cases are almost entirely among unvaccinated people. California saw 21,940 new cases recorded on Monday.
Meanwhile, city manager of Pasadena Steve Mermell announced that all city employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID once the shots receive federal approval, the Los Angeles Times reported last week.
On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that state employees would need to either get vaccinated against COVID or provide proof of a negative test each week.
A nurse with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine in this illustrative image. City workers in Montclair, California, can wear a sticker saying they are fully vaccinated if they want to avoid wearing masks. A nurse with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine in this illustrative image. City workers in Montclair, California, can wear a sticker saying they are fully vaccinated if they want to avoid wearing masks. Sean Rayford/Getty
