Coronavirus: Joe Biden plans to require vaccine or regular tests for federal workers

The move, which could affect millions of workers, would represent the latest effort to address Delta variant.

Joe Biden hams it up with Mack Truck president Martin Weissburg in Macungie, Pennsylvania. Picture: AFP

US President Biden is expected to announce on Friday AEST that his administration will require federal employees to get vaccinated or be regularly tested for Covid-19, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

The move would represent the latest effort by the administration to address the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The person familiar with the situation said no decision has been finalised, and the policy is still under review. The person said the administration is also strongly considering more stringent masking protocols for unvaccinated federal workers. Such policies could affect millions of workers, depending on which categories of employees were included.

Mr Biden said on Tuesday that a policy requiring vaccines for federal workers was under consideration. He also said in a statement that he plans to lay out the next steps for getting more Americans vaccinated in a speech on Thursday. CNN first reported the president’s expected announcement for federal workers.

The administration is ramping up its efforts to fend off the highly contagious Delta variant. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention revised its mask guidance to recommend vaccinated people in some parts of the country resume wearing them indoors. It also said K-12 schools should adopt universal masking, regardless of vaccination status. Local officials in some areas have begun reimposing mask rules or requiring public workers to get the Covid-19 vaccine, and some companies have issued vaccine mandates.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that all of the state’s public employees must be vaccinated against Covid-19 by Labour Day or face weekly testing and that patient-facing workers at state hospitals can’t opt out with testing. There are around 140,000 employees in state agencies and at the State University of New York, which operates five academic medical centres. That includes around 25,000 patient-facing employees, a SUNY spokesman said.

“It is an aggressive step, and there will be pushback,” Mr Cuomo said. “I don’t want to see Covid 2 — I don’t want to see the sequel.”

Officials in California and New York City announced similar requirements for public workers on Monday. California’s order, which also applies to those who work in healthcare settings, goes into effect in August. The New York City mandate begins after Labour Day.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday said anyone who receives their first vaccine dose at a city-run site will receive a $US100 prepaid debit card. “Mandates are a crucial part of the solution. But we also believe in incentives,” he said.

The Justice Department determined that federal law doesn’t prohibit private companies or public agencies from requiring Covid-19 vaccines, according to a legal opinion made public this week.

The three vaccines currently being administered in the US, made by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, have emergency authorisation from the Food and Drug Administration but not full approval.

The FDA’s emergency-use authorisations say potential vaccine recipients must be informed that they have the option to accept or refuse the shot, but the law does “not prohibit entities from imposing vaccination requirements,” the department’s Office of Legal Counsel said in its July 6 opinion.

Earlier this week, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said healthcare personnel who work in or visit Veterans Health Administration facilities or provide direct care to people the VA serves would have eight weeks to get vaccinated.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said earlier this month the Defence Department’s senior leadership has had preliminary discussions about what to do if and when the vaccine is fully authorised and signalled that mandating vaccines for US troops could be a potential option.

The recent vaccine requirements and new masking guidelines from the CDC come after a significant uptick in Covid-19 cases due to the highly transmissible Delta variant and as the pace of vaccinations has slowed.

Citing the revised CDC mask guidelines, the Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday issued a memo stating that all federal employees, on-site contractors and visitors in areas with high or substantial transmission must wear masks in public spaces at federal buildings regardless of vaccination status.

The White House has said it isn’t the role of the federal government to mandate vaccines nationwide or to compel private companies to do so. But officials have said the government could make its own determination about vaccination requirements for federal employees.

Some companies, including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group and Wells Fargo & Co., have mandated that all workers must get vaccinated or divulge their vaccination status before returning to the office. United Airlines Holdings requires Covid-19 vaccines for new employees.

Several states have advanced or proposed legislation that seek to ban or limit vaccine mandates in schools and other settings. In Texas, the governor has prohibited any state agency or organisation that receives state funding from mandating the vaccine for its workers.

The Wall Street Journal