Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs refuses to comply to President Biden’s vaccine mandate
The decision follows other Republican leaders in the state and nation.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs released a letter Friday morning written to President Joe Biden stating the county will not comply with the recent COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
Mayor Jacobs states through his chief executive position over 2,700 employees that the actions of this decision would impose financial, legal and regulatory burdens on Knox County taxpayers. He adds it could hinder employment in the community as individuals may not wish to work under an imposed mandate.
“As a fellow elected official who has sworn an oath to uphold the US Constitution just as you have, I am alarmed by the alacrity with which you issued this order, contradicting both Article 1, Section 1 — which vests legislative power in the Congress — and the Tenth Amendment — which recognizes the sovereignty of the states or the people over the matter the Constitution does not delegate to the federal government,” wrote Mayor Jacobs.
Mayor Jacobs is joined by other Republican leaders in the state issuing concerns or rejections of the mandate.
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III has joined with 24 other Republican state attorney generals to send their own letter to President Biden.
This also comes after calls by Conservative activists for the state legislation to host a special session regarding COVID-19 regulations. Governor Bill Lee has been opposed to the special session.
President Biden’s mandate comes as the Delta variant continues to spread nation-wide.
The mandate orders employers with 100 or more workers to require vaccinations or weekly testing. Organizations that do not comply will be faced with fines of $14,000 per violation.
Tennessee continues to have one of the highest rates of COVID-19 in the country. As of Sept. 17, 1.14 million cases have been reported and 14,173 deaths. Of these deaths, 777 come from Knox County with six occurring in a 20-hour period.
Local hospitals have urged the public to get the vaccine as ICU beds remain limited under the surge. Almost all the deaths have been among those unvaccinated.
Across Tennessee, 44 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. In Knox County, the rate is 50 percent vaccinated.
Note: This article was published on Sept. 17, 2021. Please see the CDC website for updated COVID-19 information.
