COVID-19 contact tracing could prove to be the downfall of President Joe Biden’s hotly contested vaccine mandate.
Employers with 100 employees or more may soon be required to have their employees vaccinated against the highly contagious coronavirus or face costly fines. A provision for weekly testing in lieu of vaccination is expected to be added to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which awaits OSHA approval.
The American Trucking Associations, one of several industry groups meeting with White House officials to caution against implementing the vaccine mandate for fear of further straining an already anemic labor supply, reported that the mandate will likely push out 37% of drivers at a time when they say 80,000 more are needed to help alleviate unprecedented kinks in America’s supply chain.
[Related: Economist says trucking short 80,000 drivers]
Legal challenges are mounting against the president’s tough stance on COVID, including in Florida where Governor Rick DeSantis said recently that the state will challenge Biden’s mandate in court.
