Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Feds To Mandate Shots, Paid Time Off, Sick Leave For Large-Company Workers
USA Today: Mandatory Vaccination For Employees Of Large Companies Draws Closer
The controversial Biden administration plan to require companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccination for their workers or require weekly testing cleared another hurdle Monday when the Office of Management and Budget completed its regulatory review. The plan also requires employers to provide paid time to workers to get vaccinated and paid sick leave to recover from any side effects. The Federal Register will publish the emergency temporary standard "in the coming days," the Labor Department said in a statement. It's not clear when the mandate would become effective. (Bacon and Ortiz, 11/1)
Roll Call: Biden Gives Contractors Leeway On COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Federal contractors can use their discretion in deciding how to handle an employee who refuses to get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to guidance released by the White House on Monday. If a government contractor's employee refuses to get vaccinated and does not have a pending request for an accommodation, there is no one protocol for the employer to follow. The administration suggests counseling and education, followed by additional disciplinary measures, if necessary. Firing an unvaccinated employee should occur only after additional noncompliance, the White House says. (Cohen, 11/1)
Dallas Morning News: U.S. Employers Must Give Paid Time Off, Sick Leave To Vaccinate Workers Under Pending Emergency Rule
The federal government will require companies with at least 100 workers to provide paid time off for employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and paid sick leave to recover from effects of the shots, a Biden administration official said Monday. Those requirements will be part of a pending federal rule that will spell out how large employers will meet a requirement that workers be vaccinated or tested regularly for the virus. The White House budget office has completed its review of the rule being written by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is expected to be released this week. (11/1)
In updates about the military mandate —
AP: Military Weighs Penalties For Those Who Refuse COVID Vaccine
As deadlines loom for military and defense civilians to get mandated COVID-19 vaccines, senior leaders must now wrestle with the fate of those who flatly refuse the shots or are seeking exemptions, and how to make sure they are treated fairly and equally. The vast majority of the active duty force has received at least one shot, but tens of thousands have not. For some it may be a career-ending decision. Others could face transfers, travel restrictions, limits on deployments and requirements to repay bonuses. (Baldor, 11/1)
American Homefront Project: As Deadlines Near For Service Members To Get COVID Vaccines, The Vast Majority Have Complied
After Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered America’s 1.4 million active duty service members to get COVID-19 vaccines, the service branches set their own deadlines for compliance. The Air Force set the most ambitious deadline - Nov. 2. The deadline in the Navy and the Marine Corps is Nov. 28, and the Army's cutoff date is Dec. 15. The Department of Defense says more than 90 percent of active duty troops have received at least one vaccine dose. Some of the rest have requested medical or religious exemptions. Others face possible punishment for disregarding the order. (Frame, 11/1)
Also —
Fox News: Alabama DA Files Suit To Block Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate
Steve Marshall, Alabama’s district attorney, announced on Twitter Monday that he filed a lawsuit to block a key part of President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate he called "flagrantly unconstitutional." Marshall, a Republican, focused on the federal-contractor mandate. He called the scope vague and wide, and said under the guidelines, contractors who work from home--with no chance of infecting a colleague, are forced to take the jab. (DeMarche, 11/2)
