Last week, President Joe Biden announced sweeping COVID-19 mitigation measures, including requiring businesses with 100 or more employees to mandate employees either get vaccinated or subject to weekly testing.
The announcement prompted concerns and questions from the business community, including PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr who issued a statement and raised questions about various ambiguities in the plan.
“Our organization shares questions and concerns about this plan with the rest of the nation’s business community – including whether employers will have access to funding to help pay for expanded testing; how penalties for non-compliance will be enforced; and – perhaps most notably – whether liability protections exist for businesses acting in compliance with the latest round of OSHA standards,” Barr said.
He noted that the PA Chamber has advocated for the last 18 months to provide employers who are following public health and safety guidelines with targeted and temporary liability protections. “The ambiguities in these directives further highlight the need to get meaningful liability reforms in place as soon as possible,” he added.
The full statement is available here.