Healthcare in this state is lacking - just last year, over 14% of our state population was uninsured. Additionally, despite popular belief, less than 50% of the state actually receives insurance from their employer. In rural Georgia, we need more options to access healthcare. 

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Covid-19 has hit us hard, no matter who you are. As an individual, I am very pro-vaccine and support vaccine mandates for healthcare workers, however, I also supports autonomy. I does not support mask mandates or vaccine mandates for the general public but encourage business owners to continue to require masks for their employees. My stance on mandates and vaccines offers a practical approach; I believe it is not the governments job or responsibility to mandate masks or vaccines among the public. Instead, it is our governments job to ensure citizens who want the vaccine have access to it, and that accurate information about the vaccine is reaching the public. Education and Accessibility should be our governments #1 priority. While there is much value in vaccine education, and why vaccines work, we cannot force action on others. "My body, My choice" goes both ways! We cannot support women's autonomy and support vaccine mandates in parallel. 

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In contrast, I do support mandatory vaccinations for individuals who work in the medical field, and those who work inside the government. One thing we must understand as a community is that we no longer have the luxury of having the "best of both worlds". We cannot go back to "business as usual" until we have made the proper steps to ensure everyone's safety. This means continuing to allow your employees to work from home, educating yourself on the vaccine, wearing a mask in the grocery store (even if you don't legally have to), and staying home when you are sick. We need to do what is right to look out for each other, and to ensure we're ALL here to see 2025.