Tens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules issued yesterday.
The new requirements are the Biden administration’s toughest move yet to persuade reluctant Americans to finally get a vaccine that has been widely available for months, or face financial consequences. If successful, administration officials believe it will go a long way toward ending a pandemic that has killed more than 750,000 Americans.
The requirements will apply to about 84 million workers at medium and large businesses, although it is not clear how many of those employees are unvaccinated.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations will force the companies to require that unvaccinated workers test negative for COVID-19 at least once a week and wear a mask while in the workplace.
Louisiana’s U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy have joined more than 30 other senators and representatives attempting to nullify President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate on companies with 100 or more employees.
The lawmakers have initiated a Congressional Review Act, which would allow Congress to overturn certain federal agency regulations and actions through joint disapproval.
