![Elizabeth Hovde of the Washington Policy Center discusses the idea of declaring a pandemic amnesty.](https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Large_Clark-County-Today-Opinion-Amnesty-is-a-tall-order-for-those-who-lost-jobs-in-Washington-state.jpg)
Elizabeth Hovde of the Washington Policy Center discusses the idea of declaring a pandemic amnesty
Elizabeth Hovde
Washington Policy Center
“Amnesty” is a noun that means the act of an authority “by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals” or, more casually in Webster’s New World College Dictionary, a “deliberate overlooking.” One of its synonyms is forgiveness. And a column in The Atlantic by Emily Oster, an economist at Brown University, says we should declare one. In “Let’s declare a pandemic amnesty,” Oster says, “We need to forgive one another for what we did and said when we were in the dark about COVID.”
![Elizabeth Hovde](https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Clark-County-Today-HovdeMug-1.jpg)
A lot of us want to and understand that people — and governments — were operating with limited information in the interest of safety in 2020 when COVID-19 hit the scene, threatening our health, our friends and our families. Some early government actions made sense, given all that we did not know — even if they changed societal life as we knew it.
But for many of the people on the receiving end of the “we know better now” treatment, the problem with letting go is the fact that some of the offenses are still happening. On the state level, even with much more light on COVID-19 and its vaccines, a vaccine mandate remains for employment in most state government jobs — even as we watch the New York Supreme Court order New York City to rehire and give back pay to city employees. (That ruling rested in part on identical unvaccinated people being treated differently by the same administrative agency.) Hiring is also limited to vaccinated people for those Washington state jobs, and some current workers with exemptions have been separated from their co-workers and normal job functions. This makes amnesty a tall order.
Thousands of workers are left in the wake of Gov. Jay Inslee’s vaccine mandate. State officials report 2,135 employees received pink slips or felt forced to quit or retire due to the governor’s mandate. Other reports show the state’s health care system lost about 3,000 hospital workers because of the mandate, and some of the state’s first responders and health care providers weren’t trusted to stay on the job. As a result, public and health care services suffered, careers were ruined and working families lost income. Many family, friends and co-workers also remain divided after the government-led vilification of unvaccinated people that carries on today.
The end of a vaccine mandate as a condition of employment — and some mea culpas for the vilification — could help usher in an amnesty in Washington state. Instead, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) just completed rulemaking for the governor’s permanent COVID-19 vaccine mandate. I’m still waiting on OFM’s response about the authority it claims to have under RCW 41.06.133 and RCW 41.06.150 to make an employment rule for this medical decision.
Amnesty while in the middle of political offenses doesn’t work. Lawmakers should do all they can next January to get us closer to fine.
Elizabeth Hovde is a policy analyst and the director of the Centers for Health Care and Worker Rights at the Washington Policy Center. She is a Clark County resident.
Also read:
- Study: Risk for getting COVID rises with each shotA new report from the Epoch Times warns that the more COVID shots an individual has taken, the higher the risk of getting COVID.
- ‘That’s a scandal’: CDC knew COVID shots caused deaths, but lied with public denialsA new report from the Epoch Times reveals its investigation shows that the CDC knew of the links between the COVID shots and death – and lied about them.
- FDA agrees to remove anti-ivermectin posts off the internet in lawsuit settlementThe Food and Drug Administration has reportedly settled a lawsuit brought by three doctors who accused the health regulator of interfering with their ability to practice medicine and prescribe Ivermectin to treat COVID.
- No good news about student learning on 4-year anniversary of COVID school closuresFour years ago this month, schools nationwide shut down as COVID-19 numbers skyrocketed and students were sent home for what was initially planned to be two weeks.
- NBA Hall-of-Famer among plaintiffs in lawsuit over WA state COVID-19 restrictionsNBA Hall-of-Famer John Stockton of Spokane is among the plaintiffs suing over alleged free-speech sanctions levied against health care providers who spoke out against state restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Opinion: Gov. Inslee wants to be remembered for COVID-19 response?Elizabeth Hovde of the Washington Policy Center doesn’t think Gov. Jay Inslee should remind people of his legacy COVID response.
- Medical freedom conference at local church draws large crowdA link to a video for a recent conference on medical freedom at Bethel Community Church in Washougal has been taken down by YouTube, but those who were at the event witnessed two doctors calling for individuals to take back their freedom.
- Report: COVID-vaccine maker monitored popular critics of the jabPharmaceutical giant Moderna tracked the content of popular media personalities who were critical of the COVID-19 vaccine seeking to censor what the company deemed as “misinformation.”