Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:41 pm
The Department of Labor (DOL) has confirmed that President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for businesses will be published soon.
It is being developed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is crafting an emergency temporary standard (ETS) to enact the mandate, which requires all companies with at least 100 employees to require vaccines or weekly testing for employees.
“On November 1, the Office of Management and Budget completed its regulatory review of the emergency temporary standard. The Federal Register will publish the emergency temporary standard in the coming days,†a Department of Labor spokesperson said in a statement.
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“Covered employers must develop, implement, and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, unless they adopt a policy requiring employees to choose either to get vaccinated or to undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work,†the spokesperson said.
President Biden’s mandate will affect roughly 100 million Americans. It will include a vaccine mandate for all federal workers and contractors, in addition to a requirement that large companies must mandate vaccines or regular testing for employees.
At the time he made the announcement, Biden expressed his frustration with the 25% of Americans who had not yet gotten a vaccine. (That number has since declined to about 20%).
“What more is there to wait for? What more do you need to see?†he said. “We’ve made vaccinations free, safe and convenient. The vaccine has FDA approval. Over 200 million Americans have gotten at least one shot. We’ve been patient. But our patience is wearing thin. And your refusal has cost all of us. So please, do the right thing.â€
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.
