A Dozen members of the Massachusetts State Police have been fired for refusing to comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, officials said.
The members—one sergeant and 11 Massachusetts State troopers—were terminated on Friday following a hearing process over their vaccination status, State Police spokesperson David Procopio told MassLive in a statement.
Governor Charlie Baker’s vaccine requirement, which requires state employees to get the injection, took effect in October 2021.
Because they had previously been refused religious or medical exemptions, the 12 Massachusetts State Police officers will be unable to appeal their terminations.
According to The Boston Globe, the 12 members of the Massachusetts State Police will be unable to appeal their terminations since they had previously been refused religious or medical exemptions.
According to data from the state department of public health, Massachusetts registered 1,637 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, increasing the total to 1,574,533. The number of verified COVID-19 infections in the state peaked on January 3 with over 36,000 cases. Since then, daily instances have been progressively falling, with a modest increase in recent weeks.
The terminations, according to Patrick McNamara, president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, a union that represents troopers, were a hypocritical act by the governor.
In the union’s statement, McNamara slammed the governor’s decision to fire the sergeant and troops.
The 12 people fired are not part of a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the governor’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement, according to a state police spokeswoman.
By October 17, 2021, the governor’s executive decree required executive department personnel to provide proof of immunization.
Hundreds of Massachusetts State Police troopers had resigned by late September, according to the union.
