People gather outside Marietta Memorial Hospital to protest vaccine mandate

MARIETTA, Ohio(WTAP) -A group of people was seen and heard protesting outside the Marietta Memorial Hospital campus today over a COVID vaccine mandate the hospital is putting into effect.

Signs saying, “I stand for medical choice,” and “Mandates are not Law” could be seen outside the hospital. The protestors were made up of residents across the Mid Ohio Valley. One of those protestors was John Davis, a Wood County resident and a member of Mid Ohio Valley Citizens Action Group.

“People should have the choice whether or not to take that shot, they should have the choice and they are not given that choice, whether it’s here at Marietta or any other places. They’re being mandated and that’s not America, that’s not freedom. You should have the freedom of choice over your own body if nothing else,” Johnson said.

A spokesperson for Memorial Health System says the hospital is one of the last regional systems to mandate a COVID 19 vaccination. In a statement to WTAP, the spokesperson says “we were given no other option last Friday when we received the final ruling from the Center for Medicare mandating COVID 19 vaccination for hospitals, that health care facilities, contractors and those conducting business with health care facilities to be vaccinated against COVID-19…”

The hospital says employees must be fully vaccinated by January 4th of next year or provide a medical or religious exemption. This information was shared with employees this week.

Memorial Health System’s spokesperson says the hospital could lose health care services if it does not comply with the mandate.

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