Lamont Fires 12 State Workers Who Refused Vaccination Or Testing

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont has fired 12 state employees who refused to comply with his order to either get vaccinated against the coronavirus, or commit to weekly testing.

The new hires were still within their six-month probationary periods on Friday when they received their pink slips, according to the News-Times. Although technically "suspended," employees under suspension can lose their jobs immediately.

The dozen are among 671 Executive Branch unionized workers identified by Lamont as possibly opposed to vaccinations or weekly COVID-19 tests, based upon the documentation they provided the state.

Most employees currently categorized as "non-compliant" remain at that status due to incomplete submissions, according to a statement released Thursday from the Governor's Office.

During an online briefing Thursday, Lamont expressed regret over the anticipated terminations, but also a new resolve: "Look, I don't want to lay anyone off. I don't want anybody going on unpaid leave. I want everybody to be working and working safely. We’re trying to reach out and make sure there are no errors, but at the end of the day, it’s been over a month now that people have had a chance to get this right."

With 509 cases confirmed overnight, out of 33,558 tests taken, the daily positivity rate reported Friday afternoon was 1.52 percent, a drop of nearly 0.4 percent since Thursday.

Out of the 1,662 cases of COVID-19 recorded by the DPH in the past seven days, 510, or 30.7 percent, were among people who had already been completely vaccinated.

Hospitalizations climbed slightly, by four beds, in the latest data. As of Friday, there are 234 residents being treated for the virus inside Connecticut hospitals.

Most of those hospitalized (95, up overnight by seven) are in Hartford County.

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