Large employers officially have until January to ensure all their employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to regular testing.
The Biden administration first announced the plan back in September, but released the requirements and guidance on the Occupational Safety and Health Administrationwebsite Thursday.
The rules, which apply to all companies that employ 100 or more people, require all employees to be vaccinated. If companies give their employees the option of being unvaccinated, they must require those employees to be tested weekly for COVID and wear a face covering while at work.
The requirement goes into effect Jan. 4.
Companies are not responsible for administering or paying for tests to unvaccinated employees, but must maintain a record of test results. Any company that does not follow the rules can be fined over $13,000 per violation.
The rules will impact about 84 million workers, including an estimated 31 million who are unvaccinated. Currently, 84% of New York state adults are at least partially vaccinated, according to state data. Only about 79% of Erie County adults are.
Legal challenges are expected, as almost half of the nation’s state attorneys general have threatened to sue.
You can read more about the new guidelineshere.
