A ruling that requires workers at companies with 100 or more employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing is back on.
On Friday evening, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a stay on the rule. It had been blocked on Nov. 6, a day after it was formally issued by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Next day, more than a dozen groups asked the Supreme court for a new halt of the ruling.
The DOL announced that OSHA would not issue citations for noncompliance with the testing requirement before Feb. 9, “so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance” with the rule. The rule requires company’s with 100+ employees to ensure each employee is either vaccinated or if unvaccinated that they are tested weekly for COVID-19. They must also enforce a mask mandate for unvaccinated workers (keeping in mind that some local and city ordinances currently require indoor masks regardless of vaccination status). These larger employers must begin compliance as of January 10, 2022.