Employers Can (Mostly) Require Vaccines For Workers Returning To The Office

https://www.npr.org/2021/05/28/ [login to see] /for-employers-the-law-is-mostly-on-their-side-when-it-comes-to-vaccines
With more than half of adult Americans now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, many employers have started laying the groundwork to get back to the office.

Returning to a post-pandemic workplace can be daunting — even more so as employers attempt to navigate safety and consider the sometimes-thorny issue of vaccine mandates.

A large number of Americans still say they are hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine, leaving employers to decide about how to handle employee health and safety.

If an employer wants its workers back in the office, can it mandate a vaccine to come back? And if a reluctant worker refuses to get immunized, can an employer show them the door?

There is no federal law specifically addressing that issue. The matter remains up to private businesses, state or other local laws, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Whether an employer may require or mandate COVID-19 vaccination is a matter of state or other applicable law," the agency said.