New Puerto Rico Executive Order Mandates Booster Shots For Health And Education Sectors

• Published date: 30 December 2021
• Law Firm: Littler Mendelson
• Author: Ms Anabel Rodríguez-Alonso and José L. Maymí-Gonz'lez

Puerto Rico Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi recently issued back-to-back executive orders (EO) regarding COVID-19. It appears that the third EO was stuck in holiday traffic. This latest EO, like her sisters, amends November's EO-2021-075 to curtail COVID-19 infections. This EO, however, breaks new ground by requiring for the first time a booster shot for certain segments of the populace.

EO-2021-082: A Mandatory Boost for Health and Education Personnel

On December 22, 2021, Governor Pierliusi signed EO-2021-082, effective as of December 27, 2021.¹ EO-2021-082 requires that any person older than age 18 who is fully vaccinated² and meets the following criteria, must receive a booster shot:³ (1) people who work in health facilities,⁴ regardless of their job functions; and (2) people who work in schools, educational centers, and universities, regardless of whether the same are public or private. This latter portion includes contractors. Notably, students are...