Tens of millions of American workers have two months to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or they’ll have to be tested every week and wear a mask in the workplace, under new rules issued by U.S. officials on Thursday.
The White House unveiled two new vaccination policies from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The OSHA policy requires vaccination for workers at companies with more than 100 employees. The deadline to be fully vaccinated for those workers is Jan. 4. There are about 84 million workers in this category.
Companies that fail to comply could face a fine of almost $14,000 per violation.
The CMS rule is even tougher, and mandates that almost 20 million nursing home, hospital and other health workers receive the vaccine. There is no weekly testing option for these employees. The CMS rule applies to all health facilities that receive federal funding.
The health workers can request an exemption on medical or religious grounds.
President Joe Biden speaks about COVID-19 vaccines for children on Wednesday in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI
“The choice is simple: get more people vaccinated, or prolong this pandemic,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Thursday. “The virus will not go away by itself, or because we wish it away. We have to act.”
“While I would have much preferred that requirements not become necessary, too many people remain unvaccinated for us to get out of this pandemic for good,” he added. “So I instituted requirements — and they are working.”
Biden said vaccine requirements are good for the economy and make it more resilient against the coronavirus and the Delta variant.
“The overwhelming majority of Americans choose to get vaccinated. There have been no ‘mass firings’ and worker shortages because of vaccination requirements,” the president said. “Despite what some predicted and falsely assert, vaccination requirements have broad public support.
“Vaccination requirements are nothing new. … Safety rules in the workplace are nothing new either. … And with today’s actions, we now have requirements to protect people from something that has taken the lives of 750,000 Americans.”
Officials said OSHA will help employers develop a vaccine or testing program with sample plans and other materials. The agency has already started to communicate with companies about the new rules.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 58% of the total U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, including almost 70% of adults and 85% of elderly Americans.
The overall number is expected to rise with the CDC and Food and Drug Administration authorizing Pfizer’s vaccine for children 5-11.
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Just how many ways can these mindless mind controlling Democrats think up to stop people from voting for them? This is indeed, Liberal insanity revealed at its most dangerous forms. You would think there is some intelligent evil life force behind the curtains pulling the strings, but with every failure ,proves it’s a mind depleted President pulling our legs and twisting our arms.
all OK except they DELIBERATELY bungle on their way to the great reset. Passports being the next step, then climate change…..Eg wallstreet are or have introduced a new asset class AAPS which puts all the natural world up for sale!
IF aliens showed up and examined every demonrat, THEY WOULD NOT FIND A SINGLE Atom of intelligence amongst the LOT of them.
Let’s go Bryan!
these people are pure evil.
That’s because they (AND THEIR VOTER BASE) WORSHIPS satan!
Satan the great Consumer which is why they love to call and make WE THE PEOPLE think we are American Consumers instead of American CREATORS as God designed us.
More government control and out reach. Really??????
This idiot is a dictator he is in the wrong country this mandate is unconstitutional and Republicans must stand stop being cowards you have the support of the people
I will die for the freedom not to be a government medical experiment. These vaccines have only been proven to make more billionaires which it has to the tune of 9 more billionaire ceo’s in big pharma. FJB!
You can mandate and fine until Hell freezes over, Biden—BUT WE’RE NOT BACKING DOWN !!!!!
Great thinking Joe Branden, Let’s coerce children who don’t need this poisonous untested vaccine, which the manufactures refuse to guarantee safety and will only supply it if they cannot be sued for damages, in violation of international law, and is punishable by death according to international law. Not a good idea.
Google the word “Nanotechnology” to see the potential of evil that could be used against you getting an injection by a force bent on evil and control. I don;t trust a one of them.
Neither do i.
With state governors and een county sheriffs in BLUE state refusing to enforce the mandates, I’d like to know how senile wet and full depends is going to make the businesses pay the fines. FJB!
If this government overreach, nay tyranny and despotism, isn’t stopped quite soon we are going to be finding ourselves in ‘reeducation camps’ where we will be forced to receive the jab.
Why are they so fired up about getting EVERYONE the jab? What will the next step be? No travel? No passport? No ability to go into a store even a grocery store? This is getting scary and going down a very bad road.
Logically this doesn’t make sense. The jab isn’t stopping people from getting COVID it is, possibly, making the symptoms less bad. However, those who are vaccinated carry the same viral load as those who are not. Thus, if those who are unvaccinated are a risk then so are those who are vaccinated. In fact, some might argue that those who are vaccinated are more likely to assume they DON’T have COVID when they feel sick and thus are more at risk of spreading it.
Well, i can easily see them forcing “vaccine passports” to travel. EVEN IN THE SAME CITY..