WASHINGTON: Biden Administration said most federal employees must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 no later than November 22 for compiling rules to ask for a large employer to invest or test weekly.
President Joe Biden last week signed an executive order that requires federal employees who work in the executive branch to be fully vaccinated with certain limited exclusions.
In guidance for federal agents posted on the federal website on Monday, the Biden government said the agency had to move “fast so that their employees were fully vaccinated as soon as possible and no later than November 22.” In July, Biden said federal workers had to be vaccinated or faced regular Covid-19 testing, along with other safety regulations such as mandatory face cover at work and official travel restrictions.
The recent surge in hospitalization and the death of the US Covid-19 caused by the Delta variant of the virus moved the government to take a harder attitude on the vaccine, which they saw as the best way to protect the economy and end the pandemic.
Federal regulators separately develop emergency temporary standards covering more than 80 million private sector employees who work for business with more than 100 workers.
Biden also on Thursday signed an executive order that needed a vaccine for millions of federal contractors “who did business with the federal government.” Some large companies are still unclear if they are covered by the executive order of the contractor’s mandate, while one major business group on Monday asked for answers to questions that surround the requirements of the private sector.
On September 24, the White House Task Force will provide new guidance on what contractors must do and who is covered, the Order said.