May 2, 2023 – The U.S. government plans to not require federal employees and international air travelers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Biden administration announced Monday.
The move means vaccinations will not be required for federal employees, federal contractors, Head Start early childhood education staff, employees at Medicare-certified health facilities and folks working at U.S. borders. International air travelers may also not be required to indicate proof of their vaccination status. The requirement might be lifted at the top of the day on May 11, when the federal health emergency declaration also ends.
“While vaccination remains one of the most important tools for improving the health and safety of workers and increasing the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response where these measures are no longer necessary,” the statement released on Monday said. Notice from the White House.
White House officials credited the vaccine mandate with saving hundreds of thousands of lives, noting that the principles “ensured the safety of workers in essential jobs, including health care and education, protecting themselves and the populations they serve, and strengthening their ability to deliver services without disruption.”
More than 100 million people were subject to mandatory vaccination, The Associated Press reportedAll but 2% of those covered by the vaccine requirement had received at the least one dose by January 2022 or had a pending or approved exemption, the Biden administration said, noting that COVID deaths had fallen by 95% and hospitalizations by nearly 91% since January 2021.
In January, the necessity for vaccination elevated for members of the US military.
On the government-run website Safer workforce in federal servicewhich helped affected organizations implement federal COVID regulations, agencies were told to not “take any action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement” right now.