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On Thursday, US President Biden announced the most sweeping COVID-19 vaccine requirements. It will affect roughly 100 million Americans. The new measures include a vaccine mandate for all federal workers and contractors and a requirement that large companies must mandate vaccines or regular testing for employees. Biden said, “My job as president is to protect all Americans. So tonight, I’m announcing that the Department of Labor is developing an emergency rule to require all employers with 100 or more employees that together employ over 80 million workers to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or show a negative test at least once a week. The bottom line is we’re going to protect vaccinated workers from unvaccinated coworkers”.

The (OSHA) Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the US Department of Labor is developing a rule requiring all employers with at least 100 employees to make sure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require unvaccinated workers to get a negative test at least once a week. OSHA will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard to introduce the vaccine requirement. Biden said that companies that fail to comply could face fines of $14,000 per violation. That was just one of the mandates and changes the president announced in a speech on boosting vaccinations and battling the COVID-19 pandemic. The president also announced vaccination requirements for health care providers that accept Medicare and Medicaid, for all federal employees, contractors, and the staff of Head Start programs.

President Biden announced in July that the federal workforce would need to provide evidence that they had been vaccinated or submit to regular testing and practice social distancing measures in the workplace. The new mandates are part of a six-pronged White House strategy to battle the COVID-19 Delta variant and boost vaccinations as cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to climb. The 6 pillars include vaccinating the unvaccinated, furthering protection for the unvaccinated, keeping schools safely open, increasing testing and requiring masking, protecting economic recovery, and improving care for those with COVID-19. Biden said, “What more is there to wait for? What more do you need to see? We’ve made vaccinations free, safe and convenient. Over 200 million Americans have gotten at least one shot. We’ve been patient. But our patience is wearing thin. So please, do the right thing”.