Can NC employers legally require COVID-19 vaccinations? Experts weigh in
RALEIGH, NC (WNCN) — Many employers in North Carolina can legally require employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Daniel Bowling is a Professor of Labor and Employment Law at Duke University’s School of Law. Because North Carolina is considered an at-will employment state, companies are allowed to fire employees for no reason at all. Bowling said they can legally require vaccinations.
“Can a private employer require its applicants and employees to be vaccinated? The answer is yes. Does an employer have to? Can they be mandated by the state to do so? The answer is no, absent it being a state-licensed business like a restaurant,” said Bowling, who is also a practicing attorney.
There are some exemptions for people whose religious beliefs go against vaccines, or for those who have medical conditions that could lead to a bad reaction.
Bowling says we likely won’t see businesses begin to require the vaccine until it becomes more widely available.
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