Court Rules: Get a Shot or Don’t Show Up

A labor court in Tel Aviv issued a precedent-setting ruling on Tuesday, affirming an employer’s right to require a worker to get vaccinated or tested twice a week, or not come to work.

Judge Carmit Peled of the Regional Labor Court dismissed the argument made by the man, who works for the Mekorot national water company, that the mandatory vaccines are reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

The employee “will act in accordance with [Mekorot’s] rules, which change from time to time, and for now will take — against his will — two weekly coronavirus tests,” Peled said.

His lawyer stipulated that while the employee agreed to take the covid tests, it was against his will and he reserved the right to sue the company at a later time, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The issue of employers requiring shots has emerged in the U.S. as well. Several large companies, including Facebook and Google, have demanded it of their employees.

CNN fired three employees who arrived at the office unvaccinated, contrary to company rules, a few days ago.

Meanwhile, Israel will be trying out a new tool for promoting the national vaccination drive.

The police will start using drones equipped with a loudspeaker through which vaccination and masking messages will be communicated to the public from on high, Channel 12 news reports.

Cities with high infection rates, such as Hadera, Rehovot, Ashkelon, Kiryat Gat, Ashdod and Yavne, can expect to hear from the police drones in the coming days.