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ARTICLE · 19 AUGUST 2021

Can Employers Mandate Vaccination Programs And Require Masks?

Ballard Spahr LLP
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Ballard Spahr LLP

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Washington, Oregon, and California now mandate employee vaccination for certain government and health care employees.

United StatesCoronavirus (COVID-19)
Katheryn Bradley
Katheryn Bradley
Courtney McFate
Courtney McFate
Riley Moyer
Riley Moyer
Priya Vivian
Priya Vivian
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Employers can lawfully mandate employee COVID-19 vaccinations, subject to medical and religious exemptions, although doing so is not without risk, as Lane Powell explained in a previous Legal Update.

So what's new? As COVID-19 cases, related hospitalizations, and the more infectious Delta variant continue to surge nationwide, some West Coast states have instituted mandatory vaccinations for certain employees. Washington, Oregon, and California now mandate employee vaccination for certain government and health care employees. These vaccination requirements continue to be subject to exemptions for documented medical and religious reasons. See Lane Powell's Legal Update.

Stricter face coverings rules are also being re-instituted, even for the vaccinated, departing from earlier guidance.  Key highlights of these recent state mandates are discussed below. 

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