US COVID-19 Action Plan Includes Mandatory Vaccinations Or Weekly Testing

On 9 September 2021, President Biden announced a US COVID-19 Action Plan comprised of six main components. This article focuses on the ‘Vaccinating the Unvaccinated' component and its impact on employers.

According to President Biden, almost 80 million Americans who are eligible to be vaccinated have not received their first shot. He has directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop a rule requiring all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require unvaccinated workers to produce a negative test at least weekly before coming to work. OSHA will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to implement this requirement. The ETS will require employers to give workers paid time off to get vaccinated and to recover from any side effects. OSHA would have the authority to fine businesses that do not comply up to USD 14,000 per violation.