NATE Requests COVID-19 Vaccination Priority Status for Industry’s Technician Workforce
For Immediate Release:
January 13, 2021
NATE Requests COVID-19 Vaccination Priority Status for Industry’s Technician Workforce
(Washington, D.C.) – NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today sent letters to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Governors Association to request that the telecom industry’s technicians be accorded priority status in the COVID-19 vaccination hierarchy the CDC has recommended and that states are now tasked with distributing.
The NATE letters make it clear that the Association is not in any way advocating that communications infrastructure technicians should be given consideration before healthcare personnel or vulnerable populations, such as those in long-term care facilities. Given the designation provided by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that those engaged in communications infrastructure operations, maintenance and restoration are essential workers, NATE believes that the industry’s essential service workforce should be elevated and included in the Phase 1b status along with other specifically identified frontline and high-priority service sectors.
To read the NATE letters, visit the links below:
NATE Letter to CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield
NATE Letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar
NATE Letter to NGA Executive Director Bill McBride
For more information on NATE, visit www.natehome.com.
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About NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association is a non-profit trade association dedicated to providing a unified voice for companies in the diverse tower and communications infrastructure construction, service and maintenance industries. Today the Association boasts over 975 member companies located throughout the United States, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, China, Israel, Jamaica, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad and the United Kingdom. For additional information on NATE, please visit www.natehome.com.
Contact: Todd Schlekeway
(605) 882-5865
