Federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates to end next week.

The Biden administration will end most federal covid vaccine mandates on May 11, including those for international travelers, federal workers and contractors, health care workers, and Head Start educators. The vaccine requirements had sparked legal and political battles, with Republicans saying the mandates were unnecessary. The requirement for federal workers has been blocked by federal courts since January 2022, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed the mandate for international travelers last week. The Health and Human Services and Homeland Security departments will start their own processes to end vaccination requirements for Head Start educators, workers at health care facilities that take Medicare and Medicaid, and some noncitizens at the land border.