August 18, 2022
Yesterday, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force released updated guidance regarding COVID policies for federal employees. Effective as of Monday, there are three actions agencies are directed to take by Monday, August 22 to align workplace policies with updated CDC guidance:
- Stop any COVID-19 serial screening testing programs that differentiate among individuals based on their COVID-19 vaccination status.
- Pause asking employees, onsite contractor employees, visitors to Federal facilities, or in-person attendees at agency-hosted meetings, events, and conferences to provide information about their COVID-19 vaccination status, regardless of COVID-19 Community Levels, where COVID-19 safety protocols do not vary based on vaccination status.
- No longer require that individuals who are not up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and who have been exposed to the virus do not enter Federal facilities or do not interact with members of the public in person as part of their official responsibilities for at least 5 full days.
The full implementation guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force can be found here: PDF
Additionally, updated implementation guidance on COVID-19 Community Levels can be found here: PDF
Lastly, the Task Force has released updated FAQs regarding vaccination requirements for federal employees: PDF
NFFE will be engaging with agency management as soon as possible to ensure the safety of federal employees remains the highest priority. If you have any questions regarding COVID policies, please contact your NFFE National Business Representative, or NFFE Deputy General Counsel Yvette Piacsek at ypiacsek@nffe.org.
For more information on COVID guidance, please read the updated CDC resources below: