The Biden Administration declared Monday, which “would remove mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federal employees, federal contractors, and international air travelers as of the end of May 11, the day the COVID-19 public health emergency takes hold. END”.
“Further information on the waiver of these requirements will be provided in the coming days,” reads a press release on the White House website.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also said Monday it will no longer require foreign passengers entering the U.S. through all land ports of entry and ships to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccinations from of May 12.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced that it will begin the process of lifting mandatory vaccination requirements for educators and healthcare workers.
In June 2022, the Biden administration lifted the requirement for all citizens arriving at US airports to provide a negative COVID test certificate, while maintaining the mandatory vaccination requirement.
Under rules introduced in September 2021 for the federal government, about 3.5 million federal employees and contractors had to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be laid off.
A White House statement said Monday that “Since January 2021, deaths from COVID-19 have decreased by 95% and hospitalizations by nearly 91%. Globally, deaths from COVID-19 are at their lowest level since the start of the pandemic. The White House points out that “a nationwide effort resulted in a record number of Americans being vaccinated, with nearly 270 million people receiving at least one vaccine against COVID-19.”
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