The Biden administration said most federal employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no later than Nov. 22 as it drafts rules to require large employers to have their workers inoculated or tested weekly.
President Joe Biden last week signed an executive order requiring federal employees who work in the Executive Branch to be fully vaccinated with certain limited exceptions.
In guidance to federal agencies posted on a federal website on Monday, the Biden administration said agencies should move "expeditiously so that their employees are fully vaccinated as quickly as possible and by no later than November 22."
In July, Biden said federal workers had to get vaccinated or face regular COVID-19 testing, along with other safety rules such as mandatory face covering at workplaces and restrictions on official travel.
The recent surge in US COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths caused by the Delta variant of the virus moved the administration to take a tougher stance on vaccines, which they see as the best way to protect the economy and end the pandemic.