Employers Can Require Employees To Get COVID-19 Vaccine, According To State Chamber Attorney

An attorney with the State Chamber of Oklahoma responded to questions from local businesses and employers about how the COVID-19 vaccine will impact them.

Courtney Warmington, the Vice-Chair of the Chamber's Human Resources and Labor Law Committee, said employers can require employees to take the vaccine, but said it is best to encourage or incentivize employees instead. However, if an employer does require the vaccine, Warmington said it is not enough for employees to say they simply do not want to take it.

"Just the 'I don't trust it, I don't like it' is not something an employer actually has to accommodate," said Warmington. "You can have discipline potentially even up to termination for someone who says I don't want to do it."

According to Warmington, there are some exceptions for people who say the vaccine is against their religious beliefs or have proven medical conditions.