Can employers make vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory?
Yes, with a few exceptions.
Experts say employers can require employees to take safety precautions, including vaccination. That does not necessarily mean you would be fired if you refuse, but you may have to sign a waiver or agree to work under specific conditions to mitigate the risk you pose to yourself or others.
“Employers generally have a great deal of leeway” to set rules for the workplace, said Dorit Reiss, a law professor specializing in vaccine policy at the University of California Hastings College of the Law. “It’s their business.”
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has allowed companies to mandate the flu and other vaccines, and has also indicated they may need COVID-19 vaccines.
There are exceptions; For example, people can apply for exemptions for medical or religious reasons.
And while employers may require vaccinations, there are reasons they may not want to.
Monitoring compliance with mandatory vaccinations would be an administrative burden, said Michelle S. Strowhiro, an employment counselor and attorney at McDermott Will & Emery. Employers would also have to manage waiver requests – not to mention legal claims that could arise.
As a result, many employers are likely to strongly encourage vaccination without the need for it, Strowhiro said.
___
The AP answers your questions about the corona virus in this series. Submit them to: [email protected].
Read previous viral questions:
Can Children Get COVID-19 Vaccines?
Do I have to wipe groceries during the pandemic?
Do “self-cleaning” elevator buttons really work?