White House officials said President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all federal workers and contractors allows for some religious or medical exemptions, but agencies may still fire certain employees where no other safety protocols are enough.
“There may be circumstances in which an agency determines that the nature of an employee’s job responsibilities requires heightened safety protocols if they are provided with a legally required exception,” according to new guidance posted on the federal government’s Safer Federal Workforce Task Force website this week. “In some cases, the nature of the employee’s job may be such that an agency determines that no safety protocol other than vaccination is adequate. In such circumstances, the agency may deny the requested accommodation.”
