San Diego Law Review
Document Type
Comments
Abstract
Hospitals should abandon the facemask requirements in their mandatory influenza-vaccination programs because the facemasks can infringe on the privacy rights of health care workers, and hospitals can still achieve their vaccination goals through less restrictive practices. Part II introduces the recent rise of mandatory influenza-vaccination policies for health care workers, how hospitals exempt certain employees, and the consequences for those exempted. Part III discusses the legal implications of requiring exempted employees to wear facemasks and other identifying material under federal and state privacy law. Part IV recommends that health care employers abandon facemask requirements in their mandatory-vaccination programs in order to avoid privacy violations. Part V concludes.
Recommended Citation
Janet S. Kim,
Masking Your Rights: Facemask Requirements Under Mandatory Influenza-Vaccination Policies Violate Privacy Rights of Health Care Workers,
53
San Diego L. Rev.
427
(2016).
Available at:
https://digital.sandiego.edu/sdlr/vol53/iss2/6