The Washington, D.C., mayor’s office will require booster shots and eliminate test-out options as an alternative for government workers, marking one of the strictest vaccine mandates for local government employees nationwide.
The district updated its definition of a “complete course of vaccination” to mean both shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and the booster six months later or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine with a booster after two months. All government employees without an exemption, which are determined on a case-by-case basis, must be fully vaccinated, with no option for weekly testing as an alternative, according to the new guidelines.
The mandate applies to all jobs under the authority of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office, including the District of Columbia Public Schools. Workers may apply for religious or medical exemptions to opt out of the vaccine requirement but must undergo weekly testing as they await a decision.
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Employees must still undergo COVID-19 testing after receiving an exemption, providing proof of a negative result from a test taken within the previous seven days.
Workers must comply with the new guidelines by Feb. 15, after which they may be notified of noncompliance. Enforcement will begin March 15, with those still in noncompliance undergoing administrative action, up to and including termination.
Under previous guidelines, government employees were required to be fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the single Johnson & Johnson shot, with the option to choose weekly testing.
Government vaccine mandates have faced legal challenges in recent months. Last week, the Biden administration’s federal worker vaccine was blocked in court by a Texas judge, who argued the order was a “bridge too far” and posed a substantial threat to irreparable harm over the “liberty interests of employees.”
“No legal remedy adequately protects the liberty interests of employees who must choose between violating a mandate of doubtful validity or consenting to an unwanted medical procedure that cannot be undone,” Judge Jeffrey Brown, who oversaw the decision, wrote in the order last week. “This case is not about whether folks should get vaccinated against COVID-19 — the court believes they should.”
Days later, the administration announced it would withdraw its vaccine-or-test mandate for private businesses with more than 100 employees after the Supreme Court blocked the rule.
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Some states already require booster shots as part of vaccine mandates for certain workplaces. Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut implemented COVID-19 booster requirements for healthcare workers in January, following similar mandates from California and New Mexico the month before.
The district reported 369 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total to 129,108 since the pandemic began, according to the mayor’s office.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Bowser’s office but did not receive a response.
