Biden Administration's New Vaccine Rules For Businesses Affect 84M Workers

President Joe Biden announced in early September he would take steps to get more people vaccinated, and on Thursday the administration revealed two new vaccine rules covering 84 million workers for businesses with 100 or more employees.

The deadline for these businesses to ensure their entire workforce is vaccinated or getting a COVID-19 test once a week is Jan. 4, 2022. This rule was issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which operates under the Labor Department. According to the rule, unvaccinated workers will also be required to wear face coverings on the job.

The OSHA rule mandates that these businesses pay employees who leave to get vaccinated and allow them time off to recover from any side effects. However, the rule does not require employers to pay for the COVID testing of their workers who do not get vaccinated, with a few exceptions.

This rule does not apply to federal employees, who are required to be vaccinated with no testing options by Nov. 22. The Jan. 4, 2022, date still applies to federal contractors.

Healthcare workers are required to get vaccinated, according to a second rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Workers in healthcare industries must be vaccinated by the same deadline, Jan. 4, 2022, or risk losing their jobs.

OSHA and CMS clarified that the new rules supercede any contradicting state or local laws.

It is unclear how the Biden administration will enforce these new rules. Many are concerned that vaccine requirements will hinder businesses’ ability to hire and keep workers.

However, according to a White House report, vaccine requirements drive vaccination rates up by over 20%. Vaccine requirements could also result in 5 million workers going back to work, according to Wall Street analysts.