Democratic-backed COVID-19 mandates on the local, state, and federal levels have caused significant complications in communities nationwide.
According to recent reports, such requirements forced the only emergency room serving one city in New York was forced to shut down for nearly a week.
Patients redirected to neighboring community
The Long Beach Emergency Department announced the closure on Monday after a number of nurses were fired for refusing to receive a vaccination. Subsequent updates indicate it was set to reopen on Friday.
The city is home to about 50,000 Long Island residents and its sole emergency department is operated by Mount Sinai South Nassau.
In its initial announcement this week, the hospital indicated that it could remain closed for four weeks or longer, though that disruption was ultimately limited to just five days. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul appears to have intervened to ensure that it would reopen, though the details remained unclear as of the latest reports available.
During the shutdown, local residents in need of emergency medical services were diverted to the hospital’s main campus in Oceanside, which is about five miles away and added roughly 20-25 minutes to an ambulance ride.
The hospital affirmed that the interruption of services was a direct result of the state’s vaccine mandate.
Governor vows to help “alleviate the stress”
About six dozen unvaccinated employees had been protected by a religious exemption that ended on Monday. Among those fired as a result were hard-to-replace emergency room nurses.
It is unclear whether the emergency department has returned to full capacity, but Hochul was clearly eager to take credit for her role in ending the disruption.
“As your governor, I will ensure the state does everything we can to alleviate the stress on hospitals and emergency care facilities,” she declared.
Although she and other Democrats have defended strict COVID-19 vaccine mandates, it seems counterintuitive to push for zero-tolerance policies that result in the shutdown of a medical facility in a densely populated urban area.
Nevertheless, it is increasingly obvious that President Joe Biden and his partisan allies will not be deterred by disruptions to the health care system, air travel, supply chains, or other vital aspects of American life.
The post Hospital forced to shut down amid staffing shortages linked to vaccine mandate first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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