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回顧星期天LBS - 疫情相關時事趣聞 All about COVID

· 每日跟讀單元 Daily English,國際時事跟讀Daily Shadowing

Topic: What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines?

若員工不想打疫苗,雇主可以採取哪些措施應對?

What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines?

美國企業雇主可以要求全體員工打疫苗並開除那些不願意配合的人,或是取消公司福利、加收健康保險金等。

They can require vaccination and fire employees who don’t comply or take other actions such as withholding company perks or charging extra for health insurance.

企業在過去數個月以來一直鼓勵員工打疫苗,有時更會祭出休假、發放禮卡等獎勵措施。不過,現在有更多企業採取強硬的立場要求還沒施打的員工完成接種,這種做法在輝瑞疫苗獲得美國食藥署(FDA)核准通過後變得更加普遍。

Businesses for months have been encouraging workers to get vaccinated, in some cases offering incentives like time off or gift cards. But more are taking a harder stance and requiring vaccinations for any remaining holdouts, a push that has gained momentum since Pfizer’s vaccine recently received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

美世諮詢公司(Mercer)的合夥人西蒙斯(Wade Symons)表示,「雇主認為除非公司採取重大的措施,否則這些員工不會去施打疫苗」。

Employers “feel like they’ve sort of hit that point where the unvaccinated are not going to do it unless there’s something significant making them do it,” said Wade Symons, a partner with Mercer, a benefits consultant.

目前,雇主要求員工打疫苗在美國是合法的,他們也有權開除不願意配合的員工。在一些企業裡,未接種疫苗的員工會被要求戴口罩並定期接受篩檢,有的公司則考慮提高未接種者的健康保險金額。

It’s legal for businesses to require the shots, and they could fire employees who don’t comply. In other cases, workers might be required to wear masks or get regular tests for the virus. Some companies also are considering making the unvaccinated pay more for their health insurance.

在達美航空,公司的健康計畫則針對未接種疫苗的員工加收一個月200美金的費用,以分擔未來可能染疫住院所需的開銷。

At Delta Air Lines, unvaccinated employees on the company health plan will be charged $200 a month to help cover costs for possible COVID-19 hospital stays.

西蒙斯表示,其他公司則多會從員工每個月的薪水中小額扣款20-25美金費用(約等同於新台幣600元至750元),並在員工接種完疫苗後將款項退還。

Symons said other employers will more likely add smaller charges of $20 or $25 per paycheck that might be refunded once the employee is vaccinated.

雇主也可能限制公司的公共空間使用權,只允許打過疫苗的員工上公司健身房運動,或進行商務旅行。在拉斯維加斯,美高梅國際酒店集團(MGM Resorts International)則規定未接種疫苗的員工若被確診出染疫,公司將不會在其隔離期間給薪。

Employers might also restrict the use of office space, company gyms or business travel only for the vaccinated. In Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International has said unvaccinated employees will not be paid for time off to quarantine if they test positive for the virus.

西蒙斯也指出,這類強制員工打疫苗的規定大多來自需要員工在辦公室工作的企業。

Vaccine requirements will mainly come from businesses that need workers on a job site, Symons said.

不過,針對一些因醫療或宗教因素不打疫苗的員工,雇主必須提出豁免或調解方案。

Employers have to offer exemptions or accommodations from vaccine requirements for some who don’t get the shots for medical or religious reasons.

迪士尼和俄亥俄州立大學(The Ohio State University)是強制員工打疫苗的機構中規模較大的集團,他們表示輝瑞疫苗已經得到食藥署的完整批准,因此將強制要求員工施打。美國國防部長奧斯丁(Lloyd Austin)也表示,軍人必須立刻開始接種疫苗。

Walt Disney World and Ohio State University are among the large employers that said they’ll make vaccination mandatory since Pfizer’s shot was given the FDA’s full approval. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also has said that military troops must immediately begin to get the vaccine. Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20210903-2749357

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Topic: Covid ’vaccination persuasion’ teams reap rewards in Turkey

A coronavirus "vaccination persuasion" initiative is gearing up to be rolled out across Turkey after proving a resounding success in a district in the country’s south-east.

一項新冠病毒「接種疫苗勸說」倡議在土耳其東南部一個地區證明成效卓著後,正加緊在全國各地推出。

Since February, doctors and healthcare workers in the mainly Kurdish city of Adıyaman have been calling people in age groups already eligible for the vaccine to ask why they have not come to clinics for appointments.

醫師和醫護人員2月起在以庫德族為主的阿德亞曼市,打電話給符合接種年齡資格的族群,詢問他們為什麼沒有到診所預約接種。

Then, equipped with cooler boxes full of vaccine vials, they fan out across the rural area to visit patients who are still reluctant.

然後,他們帶著裝滿疫苗針劑的保冷箱,在這個鄉村地區四處拜訪仍不願去接種疫苗的患者。

It is working, boosting the vaccine take-up rate among the 250,000 strong population scattered across the province’s central district by nearly 30%.

此舉確實發揮作用,將散佈該省中心地區約25萬人口的疫苗接種率,提高了將近30%。

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Topic: Vax and scratch - NY offers $5M lottery for newly vaccinated 接種疫苗刮刮樂:紐約提供500萬美元彩券給最近接種者

Anyone who gets vaccinated at select state-run vaccination sites in New York next week will receive a lottery scratch ticket with prizes potentially worth millions, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo tries to boost slowing vaccination rates.

由於紐約州長古莫試圖提高趨緩的疫苗接種率,下週在該州選定的州設疫苗接種站施打疫苗者,將會拿到一張可能包含價值高達數百萬美元獎金的刮刮樂彩券。

The pilot program will offer prizes from $20 up to $5 million and run from Monday, May 24 to Friday, May 28 at 10 state-run sites.

這項試行計畫將提供從20美元到上看500萬美元的獎金,從5月24日週一到5月28日週五,在10個州設站點執行。

The governor said there’s a one in nine chance of winning a scratch ticket prize in New York, which is joining other states, including Ohio, with similar lottery incentives. Only residents 18 and older are eligible.

包括俄亥俄等其他州也提供類似的彩券誘因,這位州長說,紐約刮刮樂中獎機率為9分之1。僅18歲及以上居民有資格。

New York also plans to set up pop-up vaccination sites at seven airports across the state for U.S. residents, including airport workers.

紐約州也打算在該州境內7處機場為包含機場工作人員在內的美國居民設立臨時接種站。

Source article:https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1452359;https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1451604

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Topic: Britons working at home spend more time on job in COVID-19 crisis

People working from home during lockdown spend more time at their jobs and are less likely to be promoted or take time off sick, but are paid above average wages, according to an official study in the UK.

英國一項官方研究顯示,封城期間在家上班的人花在工作上的時間更多,而獲晉升或請病假的可能性較小,但他們的薪水高於平均工資。

Documenting the shift to remote work during the pandemic, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people who did some work at home in 2020 rose by 9.4 percentage points from a year earlier to 35.9 percent of the workforce — representing more than 11 million employees.

英國國家統計局記錄了疫情期間轉為遠距工作的情況,並表示,二○二○年在家做部份工作的人數,佔勞動力的百分之三十五點九,比前一年增加了九點四個百分點,亦即逾一千一百萬名員工。

However, there were substantial variations between occupations and parts of the country, reflecting the differing experiences of the pandemic for workers as some were hit harder by the crisis than others.

但是,此情況因職業及國內各區域之不同而有很大的差異,反映出勞工在疫情中的不同經歷,因為有的人在此危機中所受到的衝擊更大。

Although suggesting that the majority of people continued to travel to work during the pandemic, the figures reveal a divergent impact on home workers. According to the research, those using office studies, converted bedroom workplaces and kitchen tables did two-thirds more unpaid overtime in 2020 and were more likely to work after 6pm.

儘管這些數據表示多數人在疫情期間仍繼續通勤上班,但它顯示居家辦公者所受到的影響不同。根據此研究,那些平常在辦公室上班,而將臥室及餐桌轉為辦公空間的人,在二○二○年的無薪加班時間增加了三分之二,且晚上六點後仍在工作的可能性更高。

However, they were generally higher qualified and better paid, took longer and more frequent breaks, and started work later in the day.

但是,他們通常學經歷較高,薪水也較高,休息時間更長、更頻繁,每天開始工作的時間較晚。

Staff based at home took less than half the amount of sick leave, with two days compared with four for other employees, reflecting the reduced risk of catching an infection. The ONS said people might also feel well enough to work from home while sick if they did not have to travel.

在家工作的員工請病假的時間不到一半,只有兩天,而其他員工則為四天,反映出在家工作降低了感染疾病的風險。英國國家統計局表示,員工生病的時候,若不必出門去上班,待在家也可能會覺得舒服一點,身體狀況足以勝任工作。

However, while there is no daily commute and apparent greater flexibility, the research found that those who work consistently from home are less likely to be promoted, in a sign that they could be overlooked due to reduced face-to-face interaction with colleagues and managers.

在家工作雖然不用每日通勤,且更有彈性,但研究發現,一直在家工作的人很少獲得晉升,表示員工與上司面對面的互動減少後,可能會被忽視。

The study comes as companies across advanced economies adapt to new ways of working, accelerated by the pandemic and facilitated by technological advances, Zoom and video conferencing, and consider making more permanent changes to where staff are based after lockdown.

此研究之進行,正值經濟發達國家之企業尋求適應新的工作方式之際。這種轉變因疫情而加速進行,並有科技進展、視訊軟體Zoom及視訊會議等為助力。這些企業考慮在封城結束後,對員工的上班地點做更永久性的變更。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/05/31/2003758310