Federal contractor vaccine mandate still on hold

We previously reported that the COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine mandate for certain federal contractors is on hold nationwide, and that remains the case. Lawsuits filed in federal district courts are slowly working their way through the legal system, but so far, no court has reinstated the mandate.

Tips: As reported elsewhere in today’s newsletter, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on January 7, 2022, in lawsuits challenging two other federal vaccine mandates: (1) OSHA’s “vaccine or test” emergency temporary standard (ETS) for employers with 100 or more employees and (2) the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate for most health care settings that receive reimbursements from Medicare or Medicaid. It’s possible that at some point the Supreme Court could also accept the federal contractor vaccine mandate for review, but so far those cases haven’t gotten far enough to be appealed to the Supreme Court. For background on the key requirements for covered federal contractors, see our Alert on September 28, 2021. Vigilant will keep members posted on any changes to federal contractors’ compliance obligations.