Rep. Jewell Jones offers to write vaccination exemption letters as Delta variant surges in Michigan

State Rep. Jewell Jones (D-Inkster) took to his social media over the weekend to offer to write letters of support for anyone seeking vaccination exemptions.

On Aug. 28, Jones shared to his followers that he was willing to write letters to support those filling out vaccination exemption forms for work or school.

The offer comes one week after pharmaceutical company Pfizer became the first to have its COVID-19 vaccine fully approved by the FDA. It also comes at a time where the state of Michigan has 55% of its residents fully vaccinated and, as of Aug. 27, averages nearly 2,000 new COVID-19 cases per day.

Back in June, the Michigan House passed a bill that would ban government-sponsored vaccination passports. Despite this ban for the yet-to-be-developed vaccination passports, some local venues and restaurants have begun to require their patrons to show proof of vaccination in an effort to help protect its staff from the virus.

While Michigan and other states have no plans to implement a vaccination passport, that hasn’t stopped fake vaccination cards from being sold on the black market. Earlier this year, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined 44 other state attorney generals in an effort to stop the fake cards being sold online.

Jones does not appear to be charging for his letter of support. It is currently unclear whether an endorsement from any politician would help someone be approved for a vaccination exemption.

Jones has been the subject of public scrutiny for much of the year as the state representative is currently facing up to two years in prison on charges related to a DUI he received in April. The 26-year-old was fined earlier this summer after violating his bond a second time and came under criticism after it was revealed he spent campaign funds at a Dearborn strip club.

This story first ran in the Detroit Metro Times and you can read it here. Subscribe to their newsletters, and follow them on Google News, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit.