Gov. Jay Inslee announced today Washington state will follow the employer vaccine mandate unveiled earlier this month by President Biden once that policy completes judicial review.
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The federal policy requires employers with 100 or more employees to adopt a vaccine mandate for employment or require employees to submit to weekly testing.
You can read more about the federal vaccine mandate on our coronavirus resource site.
*UPDATE 12/20/21* The vaccine mandate is currently being challenged by multiple state attorneys general. A stay was issued in November putting the mandate on hold, however the mandate was reinstated by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Dec. 17. An appeal was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 20.
As a reminder, state governors have the legal authority to enact workplace safety policies independent of mandates issued at the federal level.
Therefore, the Washington Hospitality Association is advising our members to prepare as if these new employee vaccination requirements will eventually go into effect in Washington state.
Be sure to check out our next Ask a Lawyer webinar where we’ll discuss new vaccine and testing policies and answer your questions.
As always, this is a developing issue. We will share additional information and any legal analysis as they become available.