White House said ahead of the address that all four million federal employees and on-site contractors "will be asked to attest to their vaccination status." Those who do not declare they are fully vaccinated will be required to wear a mask on the job regardless of location, physically distance from co-workers, and be tested either once or twice a week.
The moves stop short of a vaccination mandate for federal workers -- something that was being considered as the administration was mulling ways to protect federal workers and set an example for the private sector.
But they mark a dramatic return to controversial restrictions that Biden had predicted would be relics of the past in June, when he proclaimed America would be able to enjoy a