In the News
Sarah Sawyer Quoted in the Maryland Reporter on Businesses Increase on Mandating Vaccination
Offit Kurman Labor and Employment Attorney, Sarah Sawyer, was quoted in an August 24, 2021 article in the Maryland Reporter about The Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision to grant full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. In “What Does Full Approval of The Pfizer-Biontech Covid-19 Vaccine Mean For Businesses?”, Sawyer shared her thoughts as to why many businesses have chosen not to mandate that their employees get vaccinated.
Sarah Sawyer, a labor and employment attorney with the Baltimore-based law firm Offit Kurman, noted that even though the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has said businesses can mandate that employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, many have chosen not to because of the threat of potential litigation.
“Many employers have shied away from mandating the vaccine because of the administrative burden and risks associated with disgruntled employees filing lawsuits.”
However, Sawyer also noted that she has recently seen an increase in the number of businesses that are imposing vaccine mandates.
“Even before the Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, I have seen an uptick in my clients mandating vaccination. This is especially true for my clients whose operations are dependent on employees physically coming into work. This uptick in mandatory vaccination policies has primarily been due to an increased risk to operations caused by growing positivity rates and governments and more prominent companies mandating vaccination.”
