Executive Orders Requiring COVID Vaccination of All Federal Workers & Contractors

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On September 9th  President Biden issued two Executive Orders; Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors and Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Combined, these Orders will require that all federal employees and any contractors or subcontractors working on a federal contract get vaccinated regardless of where the work is performed.

To ensure adequate safety protocols against COVID-19, the Order mandates that all Executive departments and agencies establish contracts that comply with contractor or subcontractor workplace location guidelines. The guidelines were published by the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force), established in January 2021 to protect the federal workforce. A vital aspect of this Order is that workplace locations extend beyond just government facilities to include anywhere an individual is working on or in connection with a Federal Government contract or contract-like instrument.

Regarding the mandatory Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees, each agency will need to implement a program requiring COVID-19 vaccination for all federal employees. Within seven days of this Order, the Task Force is expected to provide specific agency implementation requirements.

Biden’s Orders aim to halt the spread of COVID-19, including the Delta variant, and hope to promote the health and safety of the Federal workforce and the efficiency of the civil service. The White House Press Secretary Psaki remarked that the Orders took effect immediately with a 75-day ramp-up period. As more information becomes available regarding implementation, we’ll provide it here.