Rules issued: American businesses have until after the holidays to implement Biden Covid vaccine mandate

Businesses have until after the holidays to implement Biden Covid vaccine mandate The newly released Labor Department rules apply to businesses with 100 or more employees. Spencer Kimball,Leslie Josephs CNBC

The Biden administration ordered U.S. companies Thursday to ensure their employees are fully vaccinated by Jan. 4 or regularly tested for Covid-19 — giving them a reprieve over the holidays before the long-awaited and hotly contested mandate takes effect.

Workers must receive their final dose of a two dose vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna, or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson by that date, according to the requirements.

The administration on Thursday also pushed back the deadline for federal contractors to comply with a stricter set of vaccine requirements for staff from Dec. 8 to Jan. 4 to match the deadline set for other private companies and health-care providers.

The newly released rules, issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration under the Labor Department, apply to businesses with 100 or more employees. All unvaccinated workers must begin wearing masks by Dec. 5 and provide a negative Covid test on a weekly basis after the January deadline, according to the requirements. Companies are not required to pay for or provide the tests unless they are otherwise required to by state or local laws or in labor union contracts. Anyone who tests positive is prohibited from going into work.

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