President Joe Biden receives a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., on October 25. The Biden administration announced Monday it will no longer require proof of COVID-19 vaccine for federal workers, international travelers, Head Start educators and CMS-certified healthcare facilities effective May 11. Photo by Al Drago/UPI |
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May 2 (UPI) -- The Biden administration has announced plans to end COVID-19 vaccine requirements next week for federal employees, international travelers, Head Start educators and healthcare facilities certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"Today, we are announcing that the administration will end the COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal employees, federal contractors and international air travelers at the end of the day on May 11," the Biden administration announced Monday.
May 11 is also the same day that the COVID-19 public health emergency officially ends.
In its announcement, the White House said COVID-19 deaths have declined by 95% since January of 2021 with hospitalizations down nearly 91%.
"Globally, COVID-19 deaths are at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic," the White House said in a statement.
The Biden administration said it decided to end the vaccine requirement because the United States is in a "different phase of our response to COVID-19" after a record number of nearly 270 million Americans received at least one shot of the vaccine.
In addition to federal employees, travelers entering the United States via land ports and ferry terminals will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination starting May 12, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
"Additionally, HHS and DHS announced today that they will start the process to end their vaccination requirements for Head Start educators, CMS-certified healthcare facilities and certain noncitizens at the land border," the Biden administration said while promising more detailed information on the end of the requirements will be provided in the coming days.
"While vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary."
