EXPLAINER: What the federal vaccine mandate means for U.S. firms and workers

EXPLAINER: What vaccine mandate means for firms and workers The Biden administration's sweeping new COVID-19 mandate will apply to 84 million workers at mid-size and large companies. President Joe Biden described the rules issued Thursday as urgently needed to get more Americans inoculated. AP NEWS

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Here is a closer look at the new COVID rules and what they mean for companies and their employees:

WHAT DO THE NEW RULES DO?

Private-sector companies with 100 or more workers must require their employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested for the virus weekly and wear masks on the job. These requirements will take effect Jan. 4 under an emergency temporary standard from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

A separate rule requires workers at health care facilities that receive federal Medicare and Medicaid payments to be vaccinated. This rule, from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will apply to 17 million workers at 76,000 health care facilities, including hospitals and long-term care facilities. But doctor’s offices with fewer than 100 employees will be exempt because they don’t fall under the center’s health and safety regulations.

Employers must give workers paid time off to be vaccinated and to recover from any side effects. Vaccinations will be paid for by the federal government, though employees may have to pay for testing. The federal government says the rules supersede state laws that conflict with the standards. Still, some states have threatened to sue.

WHY DID THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IMPOSE THE MANDATE?

About 70% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated. Yet that rate of vaccination hasn’t been nearly enough to stop the spread of the virus, especially the highly contagious and now dominant delta variant. ...

HOW WILL THE RULES BE ENFORCED?

OSHA says it will enforce the new rules just as it does other workplace safety regulations — by relying largely on whistleblower complaints and some limited spot checks. But OSHA and its state partners that enforce its regulations have only 1,850 inspectors for 8 million workplaces nationwide. ...