The White House on Thursday released the details of their “plan” to force millions of Americans to get a COVID vaccine that they don’t want – or risk losing their jobs.
The new OSHA rules mandate that every business with 100 or more employees must require their workers to get the vaccine or subject themselves to weekly testing to prove they don’t have COVID. Those businesses must also provide paid time off for workers to get vaccinated and to cover any sick leave the employee may need to deal with the temporary side effects of the vaccine.
If a worker isn’t vaccinated, they must submit themselves for COVID testing once a week, and it’s up to the employer to ensure that they wear a mask while on the job.
By the Biden administration’s estimate, the new rules will apply to about 84 million U.S. workers. The White House also said it will be sending out OSHA agents to make sure businesses are complying with the rule, levying a nearly $14,000 fine per violation and a $136,532 fine for willful defiance.
In addition, another 17 million employees will be forced to get the vaccine if they work in a healthcare facility that accepts Medicaid and Medicare.
The rule applies to employees regardless of whether their positions are clinical or non-clinical and includes employees, students, trainees, and volunteers who work at a covered facility that receives federal funding from Medicare or Medicaid. It also includes individuals who provide treatment or other services for the facility under contract or other arrangements.
According to reports, OSHA is also considering applying the same rules to small businesses with fewer than 100 employees.
The new memo comes after the Biden administration released a separate memo Monday applying to all federal contractors, which allow employers leeway in how to deal with non-compliant workers but which doesn’t allow weekly testing as an alternative to getting the vaccine. All federal contractors and their employees must be fully vaccinated by December 9, according to the original diktat released on September 9.