The new order revokes an early-2021 order on safety precautions in travel, which also applied to federal employees on official travel. Image: Ringo Chiu/Shutterstock.com
President Biden has revoked most of the last Covid-related federal workplace policies that had remained on the books even though not enforced, including his order just after taking office in 2021 that set policies on mask wearing and other safety protocols in federal facilities.
The action comes almost exactly a year since Biden officially declared the pandemic over and revoked many other policies. Those included most notably the general vaccination mandate issued late in 2021, which never was enforced due to a court challenge—which itself eventually was dismissed as moot. Also ended around that time was the government’s “maximum telework” status, leaving in its wake continuing controversies over levels of offsite work that remain higher than pre-pandemic practices.
The new order also revokes an early-2021 order on safety precautions in travel, which also applied to federal employees on official travel.
The new order further abolishes the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, an interagency group that had set standards on topics ranging from Coronavirus testing to social distancing policies and signage in federal buildings.
That body “is no longer necessary as the country has transitioned from an emergency response to a longer-term response to COVID-19 and pandemic preparedness in general,” says OMB memo M-24-12, issued along with the order.
That memo meanwhile revokes a requirement for federal agencies to develop and maintain workplace safety plans using principles set by the task force. However, it also tells agencies to take steps “as a general management practice to support the ongoing and longer-term federal efforts in maintaining a safe and healthy federal workplace and ensuring future preparedness.”
Those steps include maintaining workplace safety and health plans under principles from the CDC and OSHA, and informing OMB of any changes to those plans.
“Agencies should anticipate that workplace safety plans could evolve over time to address broader pandemic preparedness or other workplace safety issues. Additionally, the CDC’s routine public health information and guidance addresses the prevention of other circulating respiratory viruses, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, in addition to COVID-19,” it says.
“Agencies should continue to satisfy any applicable collective bargaining obligations as required regarding any changes to plans and should provide appropriate notice of relevant plan updates to their employees, employee representatives, and onsite contractors. To the extent collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) have codified COVID-19 safety requirements with more stringent safety standards than provided in CDC guidance or agency workplace safety plans, agencies are obligated to honor the CBAs and may seek to renegotiate these requirements when the CBA is subject to re negotiation,” it adds.
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