More than 57,000 Missourians could be mandated to get vaccine pending White House decision
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The White House is strongly considering requiring federal employees to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, or submit regular testing and wear a mask at all times.
On Tuesday, Pres. Joe Biden said this was "under consideration," and is expected to announce the mandate Thursday.
According to data from Missouri's Economic Research and Information Center, there were 57,100 federal workers in Missouri for the month of June. In Columbia there were 2,600 and in Jefferson City there were 800 federal workers.
Federal employees are individuals who work for the federal government. This includes politicians, judges, and heads of departments such as Labor and State. Federal employees can also be civilians who work government jobs in areas like law enforcement and public health.
Most governmental departments also have clerical workers, like administrative assistants, office clerks, and even some carpenters, welders, and custodial staff.
The White House said if vaccines are mandated for federal workers, those who do not get the vaccine will have to submit regular COVID-19 testing and wear a mask no matter the transmission level in their area.
The vaccine mandate for federal workers is just one option under consideration. The announcement is expected Thursday.
