The Biden administration’s vaccination mandate for large companies will go into effect Jan. 4, with the threat of heavy fines for willful noncompliance.
Biden orders U.S. companies to vaccinate all staff by Jan. 4 or face fines
Under federal rules issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), covirus vaccination or weekly testing will be mandatory for workers at private companies with 100 or more employees.
The move is part of President Joe Biden’s push to increase vaccination rates, and similar rules will go into effect for federal workers and contractors in the coming weeks.
Under the new rules, the first deadline is Dec. 5, by which time companies must give workers time off to get vaccinated and ensure that those who have not yet been vaccinated wear masks.
Full vaccination is required by Jan. 4, with fines of up to $13,653 for each serious violation, and up to $136,532 for any employer who willfully ignores the mandate.
The new rules will cover up to 84 million Americans and will be enforced through compliance inspections.
Approximately 17 million healthcare workers in facilities participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs will also be covered by similar rules announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which also go into effect Jan. 4.
Federal contractors were to be vaccinated by Dec.
8, but the deadline has been pushed back to Jan. 4.
Biden added, “I call on employers to act. Businesses have more power than ever to accelerate our way out of this pandemic, save lives and protect our economic recovery.”
