Federal workers given until Nov. 9 to get COVID vaccines or face consequences

Employees who refuse to be vaccinated or provide proof of vaccination can be fired, OPM says.
Soby Bai gets a COVID vaccine at a clinic on August 04, 2021 in Ferguson, Missouri.
By John Solomon

 

The Office of Personnel Management is giving federal workers until Nov. 9 to comply with President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate or face consequences that could include firing.

“Employees who refuse to be vaccinated or provide proof of vaccination are subject to disciplinary measures, up to and including removal or termination from federal service," OPM Director Kiran Ahuja wrote in a memo Friday. "The only exception is for individuals who receive a legally required exception pursuant to established agency processes."

Enforcement proceedings can begin the day of the deadline, and OPM urged workers not to wait until the last minute to get inoculations.

Biden issued an executive order last month requiring all federal workers to get vaccinations.