This morning, the Biden Administration (or OSHA, more specifically) announced that the COVID vaccine or testing mandate for employers that employ more than 100 employees that was proposed nearly two months ago will go into effect on January 4th, 2022.
Religious and medical exemptions will be accommodated if a person makes such a request.
Workers who work in nursing homes, hospitals, and other medical institutions dependent on Medicare and Medicaid funding will NOT have a testing alternative option to getting vaccinated.
OSHA will fine businesses that fail to comply $14,000 per violation.
WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — Tens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules that took effect Thursday.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said companies that fail to comply could face penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation.
The new requirements, which were first previewed by President Joe Biden in September, will apply to about 84 million workers at medium and large businesses, although it is not clear how many of those employees are unvaccinated.
Tougher rules will apply to people who work in nursing homes, hospitals and other facilities that receive money from Medicare and Medicaid. Those workers will not have an option for testing and will need to be vaccinated.
The Biden administration announced Thursday that its vaccine rules applying to private businesses with 100 or more employees, certain health care workers and federal contractors will take effect January 4.
The rules stipulate that employees that fall into those groups will need to have received the necessary shots to be fully vaccinated, either two doses of Pfizer or Moderna's vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, by January 4.
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Eighty-four million employees working at large employers and 17 million health care workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid will be covered by the rules implemented by the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The new rule (PDF) was drafted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a government subagency under the US Department of Labor that covers about 84 million private-sector employers and workers. It requires that employers provide paid time for employees to go get vaccinated and ensure all unvaccinated workers wear a face mask at work.
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There’s one deadline set for the federal contractor, OSHA, and CMS policies when it comes to vaccination: January 4th, 2022. Other requirements for employers, like providing paid time off for vaccination and masking for unvaccinated employees, take effect starting December 5th.
Many private businesses — including Google, Meta (formerly Facebook), and hospitals across the country — have already required their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to the new rule. Some laid off small numbers of employees who refused the rules, creating additional issues for those struggling with supposed labor shortages. An FAQ for the Emergency Temporary Standard announced today notes it is a “minimum requirement” and says, “Nothing in this section prevents employers from agreeing with their employees to implement additional measures, and this section does not displace collectively bargained agreements.”
Expect more places to institute vaccine mandates if they haven’t done so yet, and also expect numerous lawsuits to be launched from right-wing interest groups and objectors to the COVID vaccine in the wake of this news.