Biden administration tells federal agencies they should not require employees to be vaccinated

[MichMan]

The Biden administration has told federal agencies that they generally should not require their employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to work on-site in federal buildings or to disclose whether they are vaccinated.

Employees who disclose they are unvaccinated or refuse to answer a voluntary question about vaccination status should be subject to safety requirements such as mask-wearing and social distancing, new guidance says.

“The Administration strongly encourages all Americans, including Federal employees and contractors, to be vaccinated,” says a Tuesday posting by an interagency task force overseeing pandemic-related policies for the federal workplace. However, “at present, COVID-19 vaccination should generally not be a pre-condition” for federal employees or contractors to work in person, it states, while not specifying possible exceptions.

The new federal workforce guidance — the first government-wide statement of policy on these issues — did not state why the administration has determined that it should not require vaccination.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-administration-tells-federal-agencies-they-should-not-require-employees-to-be-vaccinated-to-work-on-site/ar-AAKSPXA?ocid=msedgdhp

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. Things that make me go "wow"

SMH

[FoxNewsSucks]

2. WTF???

[Hassin Bin Sober]

3. Genius

[CentralMass]

4. WTF

[In It to Win It]

5. Well, talk about mixed messages

[Meowmee]

6. If true, it's a mistake 🤯

[Freethinker65]

7. If not vaccinated, they are required to social distance and wear a mask

I kind of understand. While vaccinated employees get to basically return to normal, if you choose to not be vaccinated you still are required to work, you just have to wear a mask and social distance yourself as required pre-vaccinations. This might actually spur more employees to just go ahead and get vaccinated...seeing your maskless coworkers faces enjoying time closer together might change some minds...after all, Trump got vaccinated, etc. Why not just go ahead and do it and join your coworkers.

[MichMan]

9. Which is it ?

a) The Biden administration has told federal agencies that they generally should not require their employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to work on-site in federal buildings or to disclose whether they are vaccinated.

b) Employees who disclose they are unvaccinated or refuse to answer a voluntary question about vaccination status should be subject to safety requirements such as mask-wearing and social distancing, new guidance says.


Are they allowed to ask and is it voluntary or not?

[Ms. Toad]

13. Looks to me like permitted to ask,

Not required to answer. BUT if you don't voluntarily disclose, you are treated presumptively as if you are not vaccinated. If you don't want to wear a mask, have the option of disclosing, and being mask free.

Pretty much what i suggested. Flip the presumption: Everyone is required to wear a mask. BUT you can buy your way to freedom by proving you are vaccinated.

That completely avoids the presumption that you are permitted to go mask free, and eliminated the need to rely on the honor system. Sometimes, framing is everything.

[Arkansas Granny]

8. Sounds like a carrot instead of a stick.

If you're vaccinated, you can work with no mask and no social distancing.

If you're not vaccinated, you can still work, but you have to wear a mask and observe social distancing. It's your choice.

[OnDoutside]

18. Yes though you will of course get those who will lie but they'll be exposing

themselves to greater risk. That's their own fault.

[MichMan]

10. This is going to be ammunition for all the anti-vaxers

"See, I'm not getting vaccinated, the government isn't even making its own employees get it. They must not think it is very important"

[OnDoutside]

19. Well they were stupid enough to be antivax in the first place....

Up to this point, everyone was wearing a mask to protect them, now they've got to enter environments where they don't know if the maskless person sitting next to them is vaccinated or an antivaxer asshole like them. The responsibility has shifted to them finally.

[RegularJam]

11. I don't see a problem with it.

It’s the only position to hold considering some states are under 30% vaccinated. No requirement but safety procedures put in place to protect the vaccinated from the unvaccinated.

[MichMan]

12. You don't see a problem with constantly imploring people to get vaccinated...

... and then not making it a requirement for your own people ? (that have to abide by your own workplace rules)

Seems like very poor messaging to me. It would have been a perfect opportunity to set a good example.

[Ms. Toad]

14. It is better needing than the CDC

Which is presumptively no making.

Here the presumption is that you will mask, until you choose to prove you are vaccinated.

[RegularJam]

16. I see zero issue.

Imploring people to get vaccinated and employment are two completely different things. There is no overlap. It’s not a method of “imploring” people to get vaccinated.

That and you just can’t do it.

[OAITW r.2.0]

15. So you can no-mask or no-vax and can potentially intoduce new varients that will defeat the vax?

So this makes everyone safer? How about this? No Vaccine, no work for USG.

[liberal_mama]

17. Wow, the mixed messages are terrible

What's going on here? Fauci is on television, worried about the Delta variant, the CDC has allowed anti-mask anti-vax people to run around maskless, and now this.

[soothsayer]

20. I'm guessing this will change if the vaccines get full approval?

It’s confusing for sure.

[Vinca]

21. I'm headed out to search for a brick wall to knock my head against.

WTF?????????