Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
sREparter
September 22, 2021
Big local employers
not yet enforcing
Biden vaccine mandate
Sheriff: Haven’t seen anything in writing
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcr.net
Monroe County sherff
Brad Freeman said he
has no plans on enforc
ing President Joe Biden’s
vaccine mandate until
he gets a legal order.
“I haven’t seen any
thing in writing,” Free
man told the Reporter.
“We have seen no regu
lation, no law, nothing.”
Freeman estimates
that about 25 percent of
his employees have got
ten the COVID vaccine.
Biden announced on
Sept. 9 that the Oc
cupational Safety and
Health Administration
(OSHA), part of the
Department of Labor,
would require employ
ers with more than 100
employees to make its
workers get the vaccine
or submit to regular
COVID tests.
Georgia Gov. Brian
Kemp and several other
governors have said
they will not permit
such a mandate in
Georgia.
Monroe County only
has a few employers
with more than 100
workers.
With 110 employees
the sheriff’s office is
one of them. Freeman
said his office offers the
vaccine to employees all
the time but so far only
about 25 percent have
reported that they got
vaccinated. He said he
hasn’t heard from any
employees who are con
cerned they’ll lose their
job for not getting it.
“Right now it’s just
him (Biden) saying it or
ordering it,” said Free
man. “You’ve gotta have
some legal standing
to order somebody to
do something. I don’t
know that a presiden
tial directive is enough.
Some government body
would have to mandate
it.”
Freeman said he un
derstands OSHA would
mandate it but said his
office has never had any
dealings with OSHA.
Monroe County gov
ernment also more than
100 employees.
Monroe County com
missioner John Am
brose said commission
ers haven’t discussed the
vaccine mandate. But
he said he doesn’t think
they’ll enforce it if the
governer says they don’t
nave to.
“That’s good enough
for me,” said Ambrose.
Another big employer
in Monroe County who
would fall under the
mandate is the Georgia
Department of Correc
tions (GDC).
Commissioner Tim
Ward said out of 9,000
employees about 2,400
have self reported get
ting vaccinated, and
they have offered a $ 150
health insurance credit
to employees who get
the vaccine. As far as
the mandate, Ward said
they would follow what
ever Gov. Kemp’s stance
is on the mandate.
The Monroe County
school board also em
ploys more than 100.
Asked whether it would
enforce the new man
date, school officials
referred the Reporter to
their existing COVID
policy which merely
encourages employees
to get the vaccine.
As for Georgia Power,
which employs hun
dreds of locals at Plant
Scherer, spokesman
John Kraft told the
Reporter that they are
continuing to assess
announced plans and
await further details on
any new mandates or
rules regarding vaccina
tions. “We will continue
to encourage employees
to receive a vaccina
tion,” said Kraft.
Council meets in new city hall
Forsyth held its first council meeting in its new city hall at 28 East Main Street on Mon
day, Sept 20. Pictured are council members standing for the invocation delivered by
council member Melvin Lawrence. The city will hold a ribbon cutting on Saturday, Sept.
25 at 2 p.m. followed by tours of the new building until 2:30 p.m. Pictured, left to
right, are council members John Howard, Chris Hewett, Lawrence, city attorney Bobby
Melton, Mayor Eric Wilson, city manager Janice Hall, council members Greg Goolsby,
Julius Stroud, Mike Dodd. (Photo/Diane Glidewell)
Child sex exploitation trial next week
Monroe County is scheduled to hold
three jury trials next week, starting Sept.
27, including one of Billy Winslow of
Forsyth for sexual exploitation of chil
dren.
Winslow was charged in 2018 with two
counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
District attorney Jonathan Adams said
they also plan to try Rachel Stone for 3
counts of aggravated battery and cruelty
to children in 2017 and Kevin Mosley for
felony shoplifting and felony fleeing also
in 2017.
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