As we used to say, “no duh.”

Gov. Dan McKee’s mandate that all health-care workers be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1 has operators of Rhode Island nursing homes – already enduring staff shortages – worried the requirement may mean hundreds of workers leaving their positions.

Fully 75% of the staff are vaccinated (compared with 60% for the state overall), but that’s not good enough for bureaucrats.  Note the response of the state to John Gage, head of the Rhode Island Health Care Association:

“They’ve listened to our concerns but there has been no commitment. Most of our questions have gone unanswered,” said Gage.

Government officials have given themselves a single overriding mandate: prove they’ve got the power to force people to comply in order to allay the fears of the fearful.  So, there’s nothing they can say, because worker shortages are not their primary concern.  (But you can bet it will be soon.)