WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (BUS) – Tens of millions of Americans who work for companies with 100 or more employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules issued Thursday.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said companies that fail to comply could face penalties of nearly $14,000 for each violation, the Associated Press reported.
The new requirements, first previewed by President Joe Biden in September, will apply to about 84 million workers at medium and large companies, although it is not clear how many of those employees are vulnerable.
Stricter rules will apply to another 17 million people who work in nursing homes, hospitals and other facilities that receive funds from Medicare and Medicaid. These workers will not have the option of testing and will need to be vaccinated.
It was not clear how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to enforce the rules. A senior administration official said the agency would target companies if it received complaints.
Workers will be able to request exemptions for medical or religious reasons.
The issuance of the rules came after weeks of organizational review and meetings with business groups, labor unions and others. The regulations form the cornerstone of Biden’s most aggressive effort to date to combat the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 740,000 people in the United States.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has drafted the rules under emergency authority that are intended to protect workers from imminent health hazards. Senior administration officials said the rules preempt conflicting state laws or orders, including those prohibiting employers from ordering vaccinations, testing or wearing face masks.
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