91视频

The long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine has cleared its final hurdle and on Monday morning the first Americans were administered the injection.

The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday accepted recommendations that the vaccine may be given to people age 16 and older. That concluded the approval process.

鈥淭his is the next step in our efforts to protect Americans, reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and help restore some normalcy to our lives and our country,鈥� CDC Director Robert Redfield stated on Sunday.

But as businesses plan for the coming year, news of immunizations raises a host of questions. For instance, should employers require workers to receive vaccinations?

鈥淚t’s a tough question to mandate that somebody does something to themselves,鈥� said Brian Pearce, executive vice president of real estate services for Unico Properties. The company owns U.S. Bancorp Tower in Portland and has more than 300 employees covering its western U.S. portfolio.

For now, officials are focused on prioritizing groups considered exceptionally high risk: workers in health care and long-term care facilities. Experts say the vaccine will probably not become widely available in the U.S. until spring 2021.

There has yet to be a decision directly stipulating whether employers can mandate that workers get a COVID-19 vaccination. However, there are already in place Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines regarding flu shots.

Businesses are allowed to mandate flu shots, according to the EEOC. However, employees can seek an exemption based on medical or religious reasons as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The EEOC also advises employers to encourage but not require employees to get flu shots.

鈥淗offman will not require anyone to get a (COVID-19) vaccine,鈥� Hoffman Construction Vice President Dan Drinkward said. 鈥淲hen a vaccine becomes available, if we can, we will help any employee that wants one to get it. We will not have a specific plan until the timing and distribution process becomes clear.鈥�

Currently, Hoffman is continuing to work with its safety precautions in place.

鈥淲e want to make sure now that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, not to let our guard down,鈥� Drinkward said.

Once more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are released to the general public, employees’ returns to workplaces will likely be a gradual shift rather than an abrupt switch. The Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine requires two doses, given 21 days apart.

鈥淚 don’t anticipate that we would mandate a vaccine,鈥� Pearce said. 鈥淏ut I think we will also follow the lead of what the business world does.鈥�

If public opinion shifts, and a majority of businesses begin requiring vaccinations, employers should be prepared to accommodate employees with approved exemptions. Accommodations might include allowing the employee to work on-site while wearing a face covering, moving the employee’s workstation, or allowing the employee to work remotely.

However, employers may be concerned that exempt employees pose a health risk to co-workers. If an exempt employee tests positive for COVID-19 and infects others, the employer could face legal risk.

鈥淥utside an act by the Legislature providing employers with some type of immunity, the liability is unlikely to be ever zero,鈥� Fisher Phillips attorney Stephen Scott said. 鈥淭hat is why employers should stay vigilant in enforcing social distancing, proper sanitation, mask usage, etcetera.鈥�

Depending on vaccine production, increasing numbers of employees could gradually return to workplaces throughout 2021.