US orders companies to have employees fully vaccinated for coronavirus by Jan. 4

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - The administration of US President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered American companies to make sure employees are fully vaccinated or regularly tested for the coronavirus by Jan .4.

The new regulation applies to businesses that have 100 or more employees, according to the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Workers who do not have a jab are required to wear masks starting Dec. 5 and provide a weekly negative COVID-19 test after the Jan. 4 deadline.

Companies can offer paid time for employees to get vaccinated until Dec. 5, and pay sick leave to workers to recover from any potential side effects.

Employees who test positive will be prohibited from going to work.

While the deadline for similar requirements for federal contractors is extended until Jan. 4, their rules do not include a regular COVID-19 testing option.

The new regulations allow contractors to determine how they would enforce health requirements for workers who refuse to get vaccinated.

OSHA said it will conduct inspections at worksites to make sure companies comply.

The new regulations cover 84 million workers in the US private sector.

The death toll from the virus in the US surpassed 750,000 on Thursday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 46 million cases in the world's worst-affected country since the start of the pandemic.

More than 425 million doses have been administered in the US, with an excess of 192 million people, 58% of the total population, fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.