By Erich Wagner

July 29, 2021

President Biden on Thursday announced a new safety mandate for federal employees and contractors who work on-site at government facilities: “attest” that you have been vaccinated, or agree to wear masks at all times and submit to regular screening for COVID-19.

The new directive comes just days after the president indicated some form of vaccine mandate for federal workers was under consideration, and after the Office of Management and Budget reinstituted a mask mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated employees and visitors to federal facilities in regions experiencing “substantial or high” transmission of COVID-19, amid spiking case numbers due in part to the more virulent delta variant of the virus.

Under the new policy, federal employees and onsite contractors must “attest” to their vaccination status by signing a form. Those who do not confirm that they are fully vaccinated will be required to wear a mask at work, physically distance from other employees and visitors, and agree to weekly or twice-weekly screenings for COVID-19. They also will be subject to restrictions on official travel.

Visitors to federal facilities must also sign attestation forms confirming their vaccination status, and if they are not vaccinated, they must wear masks and bring proof that they have received a negative COVID-19 test within the last three days.

Biden also directed the Defense Department to look into adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations that military service members are required to get. And he directed the administration to “take steps” to apply similar standards to all federal contractors, not just those who work at federal facilities.

According to guidance from the White House Safe Federal Workplace Task Force, each individual agency will be responsible for establishing a program to test federal employees and contractors who are not fully vaccinated or decline to disclose their vaccination status.

“What I’m trying to do is keep people safe,” Biden said. “So if, in fact, you’re unvaccinated, you present a problem to yourself, to your family and to those with whom you work because, as I pointed out, I’ve been asked, ‘Why would people already vaccinated get [COVID-19]?’ Well, 2% to 3%, according to the last study that was done, can still get COVID. They don’t get very sick and they don’t get hospitalized and it’s not serious, but they can catch it. So the concern is they may be able to pass it on. The important thing is if people are vaccinated, the transmission rate drops through the floor, and that’s all we’re trying to do.”

The decision has drawn a mixed response from federal employee groups. Some groups, like the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, blasted the directive as a “civil rights violation.”

“FLEOA fully supports individuals who voluntarily choose to be vaccinated, agree that it is safe and the most effective means of combatting the pandemic, and encourage our members to be vaccinated,” said FLEOA President Larry Cosme in a statement. “However, forcing people to undertake a medical procedure is not the American way and is a clear civil rights violation no matter how proponents may seek to justify it.”

Original Story: https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2021/07/biden-announces-vaccine-or-masks-mandate-feds-some-contractors/184161/