United States President Joe Biden on Thursday made it mandatory for citizens working in companies with 100 or more employees to get fully vaccinated against coronavirus by January 4 or get tested for the virus on a weekly basis.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said companies that fail to comply with the new government rules could face penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation.
The new requirements, which were first previewed by Biden in September, will apply to about 84 million workers at medium and large businesses. However, it is yet to become clear how many of these employees are unvaccinated.
For another 17 million people working in nursing homes, hospitals and other facilities that receive money from Medicare and Medicaid, there is no option for testing, but mandatory vaccination.
Workers will need to receive either two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by January 4. Unvaccinated employees would have to submit a verified negative test to the company at least once a week and wear face masks on the job. Employees who test positive would have to be removed from the workplace.
Agency reports said workers will be able to ask for exemptions on medical or religious grounds.
The rules were drafted under emergency authority meant to protect workers from an imminent health hazard, an AP report said.
Senior administration officials said the rules preempt conflicting state laws or orders, including those that ban employers from requiring vaccinations, testing or the wearing of face masks.
Companies will have to provide paid time off for employees to get vaccines and sick leave to recover from side effects that prevent them from working. The requirements for masks and paid time off for shots will take effect from December 5.
As the vaccines are free, the companies do not have to provide or pay for tests.
The administration will face an immediate challenge from Republican state officials who are eager to fight Biden in court. More than two dozen Republicans serving as state attorneys general have indicated they plan to sue, arguing that only Congress can enact such sweeping requirements under emergency authority.
(With inputs from agencies)