Lockdowns

• What are lockdowns? Lockdowns are measures taken by a government, usually with questionable legality, to restrict activities and movement by the public, such as school closures and travel restrictions.

• What lockdowns have occurred in response to COVID-19? Governments throughout the world have made various attempts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 via lockdowns. The University of Oxford has developed a COVID-19 government response tracker to track and compare these government responses. For a graphical depiction of these lockdowns over time, click here.

• Are lockdowns legal? There is much debate about the legality of government-directed lockdowns. In the United States, since the Constitution does not specifically grant the federal government the power to restrict the movement and activities of its citizens, that power (if it even exists), is “reserved to the states respectively, or to the people” according to the Tenth Amendment. States have taken different approaches, as the laws of each state regarding this topic are different.

• Are lockdowns effective? There is much debate about the effectiveness of lockdowns. What started out as “two weeks to flatten the curve” turned into “lockdown until vaccine” which turned into vaccine mandates and COVID passports. Sweden took a different, trust-the-population approach that made many “experts” angry. But Sweden ended up with a lower COVID-19 mortality rate than most of Europe. Futhermore, there are many second and third order effects of lockdowns, such as mental health, suicides, and drug overdoses. Few in the government or news media even notice these effects, much less factor them into decison-making.

Quarantines

• What is quarantine? Quarantine is the precautionary act of confining a person or oneself in an effort to prevent disease from spreading. If someone is sick, they should be isolated, which is different than quarantine.

• Are mandatory quarantines legal? The CDC claims the federal government “derives its authority for isolation and quarantine from the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.” The Commerce Clause grants Congress the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states.” The Public Health Service Act delineates the federal government’s authority to quarantine individuals coming into the country or traveling between the states. While the CDC can make recommendations, the federal government does not have the authority to order “intrastate or interstate quarantine of individuals en masse.“

• Are quarantines effective? Evidence suggests that quarantines in and of themselves are effective at slowing the spread of disease, including COVID-19.

Vaccine Mandate & Exemptions

• Vaccine Mandate General Info. According to the FDA, you should not be forced to take the COMIRNATY or Pfizer-BioNTech (see bottom of page 5 of FDA’s Vaccine Information Sheet).

• Military. The Department of Defense (DoD) mandated the COVID-19 Vaccine for all military members. On 24 Aug 21, the DoD released a memorandum directing the “full vaccination of all members of the Armed Forces under DoD authority on active duty or in the Ready Reserve, including the National Guard,” claiming that the administration of “safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines has produced admirable results to date.” Here is a Public Affairs talking points memo from the Air Force Reserve Command. Military members can apply for an exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for certain health or religious reasons. Click here for guidance provided to leaders regarding refusals.

• Military Medical Exemption. According to section 2-6 of AFI 48-110 (labeled differently depending on the service branch), medical exemptions can be based on a) underlying health condition (including a previous adverse response to immunization), or b) evidence of immunity based on serologic tests, documented infection, or similar circumstances.

• How do I submit a military medical exemption? Contact your military healthcare provider. More details coming soon.

• What if my medical exemption from the military vaccine mandate is denied? Consider appealing, filing an Article 138, or contacting your Aread Defense Counsel (ADC) or a private attorney (see section 3.5 below).

• Military Religious Accommodation Exemption. According to section 2-6 of AFI 48-110 (labeled differently depending on the service branch), “exemptions for religious reasons may be granted according to Service-specific policies to accommodate religious beliefs.” In order to apply for a religious accommodation exemption, follow the guidance for your service below.

• Air Force – Permanent exemptions for religious reasons are not granted; the MAJCOM commander is the designated approval and revocation authority for temporary immunization exemptions.

• Army – According to Army Public Affairs, soldiers may request administrative or medical exemptions as outlined in Army Regulation 600-20 and AR 40-562, as well as the new Army Directive 2021-33 that provides supplementary guidance on exemption requests.

• Coast Guard – CG–122 is the designated approval and revocation authority for religious immunization exemptions. USCG requests must be forwarded through the appropriate chain to Commandant CG–122 via CG–112.

• Navy and Marine Corps – Waivers are granted on a case-by-case basis by the Chief, Bureau of Medicine, and Surgery.

• Chaplain Interview. Here’s what to expect during your chaplain interview (guidance given to chaplains). A common argument chaplains are making is that “many drugs are developed using stem cells,” so arm yourself with the research. Questions that chaplains have been asking during religious accommodation request interviews: Are you seeking a religious accommodation? What is the accommodation you are seeking? Are you aware that this is a temporary one-time exemption for one year? (Air Force) Are you against all vaccines? Are you willing to take any of the 3 available vaccines? Are you aware that by denying these vaccines, you may be asked to separate and are you willing to do so? What is your particular religious affiliation? What is your religious objection to the vaccine or specific tents of faith that prevent you from taking the vaccine? What are your religious beliefs? Have you taken vaccines before?

• What if my religious accommodation exemption from the military vaccine mandate is denied? Consider appealing, filing an Article 138, or contacting your Area Defense Counsel (ADC) or a private attorney (see section 3.5 below).

Civilian

• Can I request an exemption from a vaccine mandate? Yes. Details coming soon.

• How do I get an exemption? Details coming soon

• Temporary Administrative Exemption. If you are prior COVID positive/recovered, you can apply for administrative exemption for 90 days based on legal action