Covid-19 Update
November 19, 2021
In case you missed it, here is the letter Anesa Chaibi, our CEO shared last week.
Covid-19 Update November 2021
Team, due to the dynamic nature of Covid-19 and the ever-changing and evolving requirements, I wanted to communicate our updated position as a company. Over the course of the last eighteen months, there has been significant misinformation and fake news in the media. Each state has its own protocols and criteria. You may have recently heard of the Federal Mandate and the OSHA requirements that have been communicated.
With that as the backdrop, you now need to know that our customers have started to reach out to require us to have only fully vaccinated service technicians to come on to their properties. As of today, some customers will allow unvaccinated service technicians who present a negative Covid-19 test that meets their requirements- which vary by customer.
I have been asked about my position on the Covid-19 vaccine and I wanted to share my perspective and how I would like each of you to think about this topic.
- First, I consider the Covid-19 vaccine as a choice each of us should make to protect your health, to protect your family and to protect your work family. It’s no different than deciding to get the annual flu shot to minimize how sick you get during the seasonal changes when colds and the flu spike each year.
- Second, I consider the best comparison is for vaccines required for children to enter schools or daycares for the first time. For example, in California, the state’s vaccination requirements and laws for children attending schools and child care programs require the following vaccines: diphtheria, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, measles, mumps, whooping cough (pertussis), polio, rubella, tetanus, and chickenpox (varicella).
- For comparison, the Texas state requirements state that a student shall show acceptable evidence of vaccination prior to entry, attendance, or transfer to a child-care facility or public or private elementary or secondary school in Texas.
- Lastly, in Florida, they require by law that all children receive vaccines protecting against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and other diseases for child care center or school attendance.
So, why did I go through the trouble of sharing three different state positions on children’s vaccines? It’s because I consider the Covid-19 vaccine to be in the same category. It’s not unlike utilizing your annual preventative health benefits to get check ups to make sure that you and your family can live your best and healthy lives.
CoolSys is offering an incentive that you may have noticed when you completed your annual enrollment for health benefits for 2022. If you upload your Covid-19 vaccine card, you will receive a $200 incentive. This incentive will no longer exist as of 1/1/22. The Covid-19 shot is free and covered by your health benefits. We recommend that you obtain your shot(s). If you chose not to obtain the vaccine, then you might be impacted by which customers you are able to service. Although we will attempt to pass on the cost of testing to our customers, you might need to pay for frequent and ongoing testing that meet either a given customer’s or OSHA’s requirements so they will allow you access to the equipment to be serviced.
In summary, we as a company are not forcing you to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Ultimately, it is your choice. However, we simply cannot carry the burden of the cost of testing that will be required to enable you to serve our customers. I recognize that you might not like this position, but it is the position of CoolSys. This is our current state position and it could also change over time as new information becomes available from our customers.
We all want to get back to some kind of normal, but for now, we must navigate through the new “abnormal”. I will continue to provide updates as we receive further clarity from our customers and what is required by law. In the meantime, stay well and take care of yourself and your family.
Respectfully,
Anesa Chaibi
President & CEO, CoolSys