Conservative news network Newsmax informed their staff on Thursday that they will be implementing a vaccine mandate.
Not long after the announcement, Newsmax host and former Donald Trump adviser Steve Cortes tweeted that he will not be complying with any vaccine mandates.
I will not comply w/ any organization’s attempt to enforce Biden’s capricious & unscientific Medical Apartheid mandate.
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) November 6, 2021
I will not be forced into the injection, nor will I disclose my vaccination status.
No one should be pressured to choose between medical privacy & their job.
“I will not comply w/ any organization’s attempt to enforce Biden’s capricious & unscientific Medical Apartheid mandate,” Cortes wrote. “I will not be forced into the injection, nor will I disclose my vaccination status.”
The host added that “no one should be pressured to choose between medical privacy and their job.
Do Not Comply pic.twitter.com/SA3IwPho3D
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) November 6, 2021
Many staff members and reporters at the network have been very outspoken critics of mandates.
According to a report from Mediaite, Newsmax cited the implementation of COVID rules by Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) as their excuse for caving in.
“To ensure that we are in compliance, we require that all vaccinated employees submit a copy of their vaccination card,” the email, obtained by Mediaite, informed staff.
Cortes also ranted against mandates on Thursday’s episode of his show, the same day that they were notified about the new requirements at the network.
“There is zero, and I mean zero, moral or ethical obligation for anyone to be compelled to get vaccinated,” Cortes said. He added that mandates are “insane workplace discrimination.”
Employees at the network have until Jan. 4, 2022 to be fully vaccinated, or else they will be required to take a weekly COVID test.
