President Biden is requiring that all federal workers and millions of government contractors be vaccinated against Covid-19, a person familiar with the plans said.
Mr. Biden will unveil executive orders setting those requirements on Thursday as part of a broader plan to combat the spread of the coronavirus. One order requires all federal executive branch workers to be vaccinated, and the other directs that the same standard be extended to employees of contractors that do business with the federal government, the person said.
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The actions go further than Mr. Biden’s requirement in July that federal workers and on-site government contractors either be vaccinated against Covid-19 or submit to regular testing and other mitigation measures.
Mr. Biden in a speech is expected to detail other proposals to more aggressively combat the pandemic. The president is expected to call for more regular testing for Covid-19, including in schools, to urge businesses to adopt vaccination requirements, and to discuss other steps such as increasing access to Covid-19 treatments, people familiar with the plan said.
Cases and hospitalizations have been rising in many states, data show, and public-health experts said the return of unvaccinated schoolchildren to classrooms and other factors could give the virus new opportunities to spread. About half of the nation is fully vaccinated.
The president’s orders apply to federal executive-branch workers, not legislative or judiciary branch staffers. Some federal agencies had already issued requirements that went beyond the president’s July directive to federal workers to get vaccinated or face regular testing. The Department of Health and Human Services is requiring more than 25,000 of its healthcare workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the military have also issued mandates.
The National Federation of Federal Employees, a government workers union, didn’t receive advance notice of Mr. Biden’s executive orders, said Matthew Dorsey, the union’s national communications director.
“We have decided not to take a hard stance on the requirement until we have a chance to review the EO and discuss details with management," he said.
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Companies including United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Tyson Foods Inc. are requiring all employees to be vaccinated. Others, such as Walmart Inc., McDonald’s Corp. and Walt Disney Co., have said certain groups, such as managers or white-collar workers, need to take the shot. Many hospital groups and colleges and universities have also moved to require vaccinations.
Labor unions’ views on vaccination requirements have been mixed. Some have said requirements should be part of contract negotiations, like other work rules. Tyson reached a deal with its largest labor union. Other unions, such as the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and American Federation of Teachers, have been more supportive and are encouraging members to get vaccinated.
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