Last week, the Biden administration announced that it would be pushing back the vaccine mandate to after the holidays, with a new date of Jan. 4. The order will affect private businesses with 100 or more employees and health care workers.
The original deadline for U.S. companies was Dec. 8, but now they must ensure all of their employees have the received shot or are regularly tested for the virus by the first week of the new year.
According to the requirements, workers must receive their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna two-dose vaccines or a single dose of Johnson and Johnson by that date, CNBC reported.
The deadline for federal contracts was also pushed back from Dec. 8 to Jan. 4, matching the requirements for private companies and healthcare workers.
The rules were released by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration under the Labor Department. They apply to businesses with 100 or more employees and will require unvaccinated workers to start wearing a mask indoors by Dec. 5 and provide a negative COVID-19 test weekly after the January deadline.
The tests are not required to be provided by an employer unless there is a state or local law or it is in labor union contracts requiring them to do so. Employers are also not required to pay for face coverings.
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Those who do test positive are prohibited from going to work.
The rules are only required of those who go to a workplace with people, not those who work remotely or perform their work exclusively outside.
Implementation plans will be given to companies to adopt the new rules through OSHA. They will also have fact sheets, among other materials.
OSHA will conduct on-site workplace inspections to make sure companies comply with the rules, CNBC reported. Companies that do not comply can receive a penalty fee from $13653 per serious violation to $136,532 if a company willfully violates the rules.
Biden's mandate is still being fought through the judiciary system, and recently, it was paused by the U.S. Court of Appeals fifth circuit, following a group of Republican-led states challenging the mandate.
There has been no word from the Biden administration on the challenge from the court.
