Biden's COVID-19 plan will require vaccines for millions of employees

By Rock Island Today Reports

Sep 13, 2021

Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce Inc issued the following announcement on Sept. 10

President Joe Biden announced his Path Out of the Pandemic action plan to combat COVID-19 that will mandate vaccinations or weekly testing at employers with 100 or more employees as well as vaccination requirements for millions of federal workers and healthcare workers.

The new measures, which Biden outlined during a news conference Thursday at the White House, aim to save more lives, while keeping schools open and safe and protecting the economy from further lockdowns and damage.

The latest COVID-19 action plan comes as just over 62% of those Americans eligible for vaccinations have been fully vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The six-pronged, comprehensive national strategy, addresses these six areas:

Vaccinating the Unvaccinated
Further Protecting the Vaccinated
Keeping Schools Safely Open
Increasing Testing & Requiring Masking
Protecting Our Economic Recovery
Improving Care for those with COVID-19

Looking to reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans, Biden called for using regulatory power and other actions to increase the number of Americans covered by vaccination requirements. His plan will require all employers with 100+ employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result at least weekly before coming to work. The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard to implement the requirement, which will impact more than 80 million workers in the private sector.

OSHA also is developing a rule to require employers with more than 100 workers to provide paid time off for workers to get vaccinated or to recover, if necessary, post-vaccination.

The plan also includes new support and reforms to assist small businesses impacted by COVID-19 including a streamlined Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Process and the launch of the Community Navigator Program to connect small businesses to the help they need.

As part of our ongoing efforts to keep businesses informed, the Quad Cities Chamber will keep members updated on the latest plan and will share OSHA’s official guidance once it is released.

Meanwhile, Quad Cities employers are invited to attend the Chamber’s Update on COVID-19 Legal Issues featuring Matthew Pappas and Allison Wright of Pappas Wright, P.C. which will include updates about President Biden’s announcement. The free virtual webinar will be from 10-10:45 a.m., Friday, Sept. 17. Advance registration is required. Registration fees waived compliments of Pappas Wright, P.C.

This fast-paced webinar will answer questions such as: Can an employer require vaccinations or masks for its employees? Must reasonable accommodations be provided for COVID-19 vaccination work requirements? Can an employer provide incentives for its employees to get vaccinated? Can an employer charge a premium to those who are not vaccinated for its health insurance? Attendees also can submit questions in advance by emailing Terri Smith at tsmith@quadcitieschamber.com by 4 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 14.

Original source can be found here.