The Biden administration has finally yielded to pressure and will end vaccine requirements for most international travelers, federal workers and contractors, healthcare workers, and Head Start educators. The effective date of this decision is May 11, which is also the day that the Biden administration will terminate the public health emergency related to the pandemic.

Republicans have long maintained that the vaccine mandates were unnecessary, and more recently, several Democrats have joined the call to end mandates as the Covid virus has become more predictable.

“The Biden Administration’s vaccination requirements helped ensure the safety of workers in critical workforces, including those in the health care and education sectors, protecting themselves and the populations they serve,” said a statement from the White House provided to the Washington Post. “… We also put in place vaccination requirements for certain international travelers to slow the spread of new variants entering the country.”

The vaccine requirements have had a significant impact on many people, including unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic, who was forced to miss several US tennis tournaments. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis even offered to bring Djokovic to Florida via boat for the Miami Open to circumvent the requirements.

The White House has stated that the Health and Human Services and Homeland Security departments will start their own processes to end vaccination requirements for Head Start educators, healthcare facilities that take Medicare and Medicaid, and some noncitizens at the land border.

This decision to end vaccine requirements marks a significant shift for the Biden administration, which has been grappling with the Covid pandemic since taking office.