Between the lines: Administration officials do not consider onerous testing requirements to qualify as a vaccine mandate.
Instead, they see testing requirements as a means to convince workers to get vaccinated.
“While no decision has been finalized, attestation of vaccination … or abiding by stringent COVID-19 protocols like mandatory mask-wearing … and regular testing for federal employees is one option under strong consideration,” said a source familiar with the considerations.
The intrigue: The internal conversation around a strict mandate for military personnel was more fraught.
The dominant internal view is that it’s better to wait for an official request from the Pentagon — which is unlikely to come until the vaccines transition from emergency-use authorization to permanent approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
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