US Chamber mandates vaccines for employees, visitors

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday said it would require anyone entering its Washington, D.C., headquarters to show proof that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.  

The business lobbying group will mandate vaccines for all employees, including virtual workers, after the Food and Drug Administration grants full approval to the vaccines, according to a Chamber spokesperson. More than 90 percent of the Chamber’s employees are already vaccinated, according to an internal poll. 

The Chamber announced its vaccine policy as it pushes employers to encourage workers to get vaccinated. The business group backed President Biden’s executive order mandating vaccines for federal workers, a move meant to encourage employers to follow suit. 

Other leading business groups that support Biden’s vaccine effort, including the National Association of Manufacturers and the Business Roundtable, will also require vaccinations for their employees. 

Some of the largest employers in the nation announced vaccine mandates for this fall, including Microsoft, Citigroup and Google. United Airlines said it would require all of its 67,000 employees to get vaccinated, while Delta Air Lines required new hires to be vaccinated.

Those mandates are meant to stop the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. Five states reported record numbers of COVID-19 cases this week, with the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths coming among individuals who are not vaccinated.