OMB and OPM officials said agencies should extend the counseling portion of enforcement of President Biden’s vaccine mandate through the end of the year, citing recent progress in the federal workforce’s vaccination rate.
The Biden administration announced Monday that it would delay until 2022 issuing suspensions and other serious penalties related to noncompliance with its mandate that the federal workforce be vaccinated against COVID-19.
President Biden’s vaccine mandate required federal workers to be fully vaccinated or request a medical or religious exemption by Nov. 22. The White House advised agencies that they should deal with noncompliant employees by providing a week of counseling to encourage them to get vaccinated, followed by suspensions and, eventually, more severe adverse personnel actions, including removal.