California Now Requiring Covid Vaccine

On Jan, 1st, 2023  a new California bill requires students to have the vaccine against Coronavirus. This bill will as well apply to employers and their employees who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The state emergency was declared back in March of 2020 many legislative acts have been endorsed within these last two years. Creating numerous opinions on this whole Covid crisis going anywhere from the mask mandate, the vaccine, and the way lockdown has affected everyone in a different sense.

With the vaccine being wildly encouraged throughout America by the government, it eventually led to restrictions to people who never got their first dose, altering their course of living due to many public places enforced with vaccine protocol . The vaccine is being more seen as overly enforced than a choice at this point to parts of the public. Junior Jio Montelongo says the following about the matter, “ I think that the vaccine is enforced because the government is making it where you can not do certain amenities without it.” Montelongo feels the choice of the vaccine is pressured to the public and the need to get it is strange. 

Various people in the U.S. are wondering when the pandemic will come to an end and how exactly it will depart from us. The vaccine is seen to be the solution for stopping the spread of the Coronavirus which in hopes will lift this pandemic for the citizens of this country. Erick Trejo, junior at Ridgeview High School shares his thoughts on the following topic, “ In the beginning of the next year I would say the pandemic will be cleared from us, with the help of the vaccines slowing the spread of COVID-19 down.” As the bill is being enforced by early next year Trejo believes that this will lower the spread and hopefully end this pandemic.

Covid has impacted and setback the people of America in ways that we did not expect it to. Michelle Ramos, English teacher at Ridgeview gives her insights on how Covid has impacted the residents of our nation saying that, “ For our society in general our children and students are setback they don’t have the same communication skills, social skills, and motivation wise it’s not there.”

As the new bill passed questions arise as normal, an example of this is whether the bill passed by legislation will benefit California as a whole. Montelongo tells us that, “ Forcing people to get vaccinated is not a good look for the state’s government ”. He believes that it will raise more concerns in the state about the choices we have to take to proceed into having a “normal” life.

Is the vaccine really necessary to be able to head into a public place some people might ask? The public knows about this situation already and the effects of COVID-19, so should it not be the choice of the individual to protect themselves against coronavirus or not and still be able to engage with society. Ramos speaks about this and states that, “ I think it’s a matter of personal choice and I think if you’re a person who’s gonna be going out in public the risk is obviously there.” Ramos explains how the fault will be on individuals because they are aware of the dangers at this point. 

With the bill already passed and not being in action until the first of January the opinions of the people will continue on criticizing the bill on its pros and cons. Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, issued a statement saying, “There is no precedent in living memory for the challenge the COVID-19 now imposes to communities and world leaders.” Quote provided by the Ban Ki-moon Centre.