Federal employees with Canada's southern neighbours will soon no longer be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
According to a statement from the White House Monday afternoon, the United States government will lift the requirement for federal employees, federal contractors, and international air travelers as of the end of the business day on Thursday, May 11. The date also marks the end of the U.S. COVID-19 public health emergency.
The Biden Administration said the change reflects a new stage in the battle against COVID-19.
"Following a whole-of-government effort that led to a record number of nearly 270 million Americans receiving at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, we are in a different phase of our response to COVID-19 than we were when many of these requirements were put into place," read the statement from the White House.
Also, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday that they will lift the requirements for Head Start educators, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) certified healthcare facilities, and certain noncitizens at the land border. Details on those changes are forthcoming.
The White House said U.S. deaths from COVID-19 have fallen by 95 per cent since vaccination requirements were started in January 2021, and hospitalizations are down by 91 per cent.
"The federal government successfully implemented requirements for its workforce in a way that increased vaccination to achieve 98 per cent compliance, reflecting employees who had received at least one dose of a vaccine or had a pending or approved exception or extension request filed by January 2022," read the statement.
The U.S. border with Canada reopened in November 2021, following a closure that lasted over a year and a half to all except essential travelers.
