Source: CalChamber)
COVID-19 vaccines continue dominating the news as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now provided full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in individuals 16 years of age and older. Previously, any vaccine in use in the U.S. was only provided an emergency use authorization; the FDA’s full approval of at least one COVID-19 vaccine will likely lead to more mandatory vaccination policies. In California, the state government has already announced vaccine mandates for the health care industry and a vaccinate or test mandate for K-12 schools while some private businesses have already begun to consider or implement mandatory vaccination policies. Although both the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) have stated that private employers may implement a mandatory vaccine policy, employers must also be aware of accommodation requests that may arise related to an employee’s disability or sincerely held religious beliefs. More details.
