While Biden's Vaccine Mandate Will Impact Colleges and Universities, Details Remain Unclear
President Biden’s recently announced COVID-19 action plan has a number of provisions that will impact colleges and universities in the coming weeks and months, although many of the specifics are still unknown. As of now, campuses need to be aware of the following three provisions: First, an
executive order directs the
Safer Federal Workforce Task Force to draft guidance which will require
all federal contractors, including colleges and universities, to mandate Covid-19 vaccines. Second, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to require all employers with 100 or more employees under OSHA’s jurisdiction “to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work.” Third, the plan calls on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to require vaccination for workers and volunteers in most healthcare settings that receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement, including teaching hospitals. (
American Council on Education - Sept. 20, 2021)