Companies with 100 or more Employees Must Comply with Vaccine or Weekly Test Mandate by January 4

WASHINGTON – Companies with 100 or more employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules that took effect Thursday.

OSHA said companies that fail to comply could face penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation.

Workers will be able to ask for exemptions on medical or religious grounds and it is not clear how the new rules will be enforced.

Workers will need to receive either two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Jan. 4. Unvaccinated employees must submit a verified negative test to the company at least once a week and wear face masks on the job.

Employees who test positive must be removed from the workplace.

OSHA will require businesses 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 Dec. 5.