Doug Ducey Issues Order Blocking Local Government Vaccine Mandates in Arizona

Arizona's Republican Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order today tightening the state's enforcement against vaccine mandates and ensuring those employed by local government can use earned sick leave after facing COVID-19 exposure.

In the order, the governor outlines that county, city, town, and other political subdivisions cannot issue vaccine mandates, adding that such actions would be punished with a class three misdemeanor.

The governor followed this order with an additional action stating that if any of the previously mentioned entities failed to provide earned sick leave for an employee asked to stay home due to COVID-19 exposure, it would be violating the state's Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act.

"We encourage all Arizonans to get the vaccine—it's safe, effective and free," Ducey said in an address. "But getting it is a personal choice, and we will not allow discrimination based on vaccination status. Today's order builds on our efforts to protect Arizonans from excessive mandates that hinder their freedom to choose what's best for their health."

In late June, the state passed Senate Bill 1824 which stated that no city, town, or county holds the authority to issue a vaccine mandate. In the context this order's legal backing, it sits next to the Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act that provides sick leave to employees considered a danger to public health.

Late Friday, the Tucson City Council voted 6-1 in an emergency meeting where they passed an ordinance requiring employees to show proof of one vaccination by August 24. It came with a five-day suspension for employees who resisted and did not provide adequate religious or medical exemptions.

That move was done largely to encourage the shot amongst its few remaining unvaccinated workers. The Tucson city manager stated a survey taken by 74 percent of city employees found that 79 perent of respondents were vaccinated.

Last April, Ducey passed an order banning "vaccine passports." He followed this action by declaring in June that students could not be mandated to receive the vaccine. He affirmed this position late last month, coming out against CDC guidance encouraging schools to enforce mask wearing indoors.

"Arizona does not allow mask mandates, vaccine mandates, vaccine passports or discrimination in schools based on who is or isn't vaccinated," Ducey said. "The CDC today is recommending that we wear masks in school and indoors, regardless of our vaccination status. This is just another example of the Biden-Harris administration's inability to effectively confront the COVID-19 pandemic."