Safer Federal Workforce Task Force Issues Updated COVID-19 Guidance for Agencies
Last week, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force released new guidance urging agencies to ease some COVID-19 protocols by August 22. The new regulations follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) August 11 release of simplified and streamlined COVID-19 guidelines.
The Task Force advises agencies to discontinue any COVID-19 screening testing program that differentiates between individuals' vaccination status. Agencies may, however, continue testing programs that do discriminate based on vaccination status. Moreover, the Task Force is urging agencies to cease asking for individuals' COVID-19 vaccination status at events hosted by their agencies, regardless of COVID-19 community levels where vaccination status is not a factor.
Unvaccinated individuals exposed to the virus are no longer required to stay away from federal facilities for five days after exposure. Instead, agencies should make sure that all individuals exposed to COVID-19 follow the CDC's updated guidance, regardless of whether they are vaccinated.
Prior to the public release of the new Task Force guidance, the Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council issued a memo to CHCOs across the government to confirm the change in procedure.
“Compared to earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, today the nation is in a stronger place with more tools—like vaccination, boosters, and treatments—that can protect us from severe illness from COVID-19. Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, including recommended booster doses, remains the best way to significantly lower the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19,” the Council stated.
The President has not revoked the mandatory vaccination requirement for federal employees. The mandate has been paused since April, and if it will continue depends on the outcome in the case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit next month.
