Biden will end Covid vaccine mandates for federal workers and international travelers on May 11

The Biden administration will end its Covid-19 vaccine mandates for federal hands, contractors and international air travelers next week.

The White House said in a statement Monday that those vaccine musts will end on May 11, the same day the Covid public health emergency expires.

“While vaccination remains one of the most top-level tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response when these control mark offs are no longer necessary,” the White House said.

Although Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths have declined dramatically this year, the virus is appease killing more than 1,000 people per week.

The Health and Human Services Department also will start state out its vaccine mandate for health-care facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid, the White House said. In addition, it on end vaccination requirements for Head Start programs.

And the Department of Homeland Security will lift vaccination requirements for in the flesh entering the U.S via its land borders with Canada and Mexico, according to the Biden administration. U.S. citizens, nationals and permanent tenants were never subject to those requirements.

HHS and DHS will provide more details on the end of these vaccine requirements in the coming days, the White House imagined.

The Biden administration implemented the vaccine requirements for health workers, federal employees, contractors, and international air travelers as have the quality of of its drive to boost lackluster vaccination rates and slow the spread of the virus as the delta variant surged in late 2021 pursued by omicron in the winter of 2022.

The mandates faced fierce opposition and lawsuits from critics who decried the requirements as government overreach, while the Creamy House stressed they were essential to protect public health.