Biden sets deadline for vaccine mandates for large companies [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The Biden administration has set a Jan. 4 deadline for unvaccinated workers to get the Covid-19 vaccine or face regular testing.
• The new federal regulation affects companies with 100 or more employees.
• Businesses that fail to comply by Jan. 4 may be fined.

The Biden administration on Thursday set Jan. 4 as the deadline for large companies to mandate coronavirus vaccinations or start weekly testing of their workers, the government’s biggest effort yet to enlist private businesses in combating the virus.

The new federal rule applies to companies with 100 or more employees. It is expected to impact 84 million workers, about 31 million of whom are unvaccinated. It details a plan President Joe Biden announced in September, invoking emergency powers over workplace safety.

For nursing homes and other health care facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funds, they must ensure all workers are vaccinated by Jan. 4. There’s no option for testing.

Biden has previously imposed vaccine requirements on federal workers and companies that have federal contracts. The latter group’s deadline was pushed to Jan. 4, from early December.

But the mandate on large private businesses is the most far-reaching and probably controversial measure in this administration’s attempts to combat the pandemic. Attorneys general in at least 24 states have threatened to sue. Republican governors and some industry trade groups have opposed the mandate.

Additionally, the White House is also considering extending the rules to smaller companies as the Labor Department had opened a 30-day comment period regarding the possibility.

“While I would have much preferred that requirements not become necessary, too many people remain unvaccinated for us to get out of this pandemic for good,” Biden said in a statement.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will allow exceptions for medical or religious reasons. It estimates that 1 percent of workers who remain hesitant have a medical reason, and 4 percent have a religious objection.

Employers are not required to either pay for or provide tests, though some may still be compelled to do so by other laws or agreements with unions. Forcing unvaccinated employees to pay for tests, the rule notes, “will provide a financial incentive for some employees to be fully vaccinated.”

Any employer failing to meet the requirements by Jan. 4 could face nearly $14,000 in fines for each employee who isn’t in compliance. Employees who are not fully vaccinated will be responsible for covering the cost of their own weekly testing.

Source: New York Times