Biden admin considering vaccine mandate for businesses with fewer than 100 employees

Number of Americans unvaccinated against COVID-19 still 'unacceptably high,' Biden says

President Joe Biden gave an update on America’s COVID-19 vaccination progress as the rate of administering the shots picked up in recent days.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says it is "seeking comment" about whether businesses with fewer than 100 employees should be subject to the COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate it is implementing on big businesses.

OSHA's requirement will force businesses with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccines or else their employees will need to wear masks and be tested for COVID-19 weekly. It will go into effect Jan. 4.

But according to a summary released by OSHA, it appears to be considering implementing the rule for small businesses as well.

"OSHA is confident that employers with 100 or more employees have the administrative capacity to implement the standard’s requirements promptly, but is less confident that smaller employers can do so without undue disruption," the summary says. "OSHA needs additional time to assess the capacity of smaller employers, and is seeking comment to help the agency make that determination."

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In this photo illustration, a medical syringe and small figures of people are seen in front of the U.S. flag. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The same language is included in the Federal Register page for the vaccine rule.

The Department of Labor did not immediately respond to a request for comment from FOX Business asking about the potential timing of such a rule for smaller employers.

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