- The Biden administration will end the country’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal employees and international air travelers on May 11, the White House said Monday.
- The requirement will be dropped the same day the administration intends to end the public health emergency enacted in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
- “While vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary,” the White House said.
- The vaccination mandate for international air travelers was intended to curb the spread of new variants of the coronavirus.
- The change, or return to rules prior to the mandate, means international air travelers who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents will no longer need to be fully vaccinated before they fly to the United States.
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Biden Ends COVID Vaccine Mandates For Federal Workers, International Air Travelers
FILE - Staff Sgt. Travis Snyder, left, receives the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine given at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, Dec. 16, 2020, south of Seattle. U.S. military forces around the world will no longer be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The mandate was lifted under an $858 billion defense spending bill passed by Congress and signed into law Friday by President Joe Biden. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
