Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
The next big office debate: Can employers force staff to take vaccines to return to work?
Why it matters: The short answer is that employers can create such requirements, with some wiggle room.
- The law lets both public and private organizations require vaccinations, and schools, hospitals and a host of other institutions have long done so.
- “Lawyers could argue that prior cases didn’t consider a drug authorized only for emergency use by the F.D.A., as the early coronavirus vaccines will be. Or perhaps a more conservative-leaning Supreme Court would be open to revisiting prior precedent,” per the New York Times' Andrew Ross Sorkin.
The big picture: Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, has said that life cannot return to normal until around 75% of America is vaccinated, but many Americans remain skeptical.
- Around 40% say they won’t get the vaccine right away, per a recent Gallup poll.
The bottom line: Companies could play a key role in upping vaccination numbers by asking their employees — or even their customers — to take it.Go deeper: Sorkin spoke with executives about their thoughts on requiring worker vaccinations.