The White House announced on Thursday that the deadline for employees of federal contractors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is January 4, 2022. By that time, all employees covered by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) or federal contractor requirement must have their final vaccination dose, the administration said.
According to White House officials, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) "will be having some programmed or planned inspections where we do go to workplaces to check to make certain that the workplace is in compliance with the rule." The penalties for violating the mandate will depend on the severity of the violation, with the standard penalty of $14,000 per citation. "If a facility were not making steps to come into compliance, we have a range of remedies. That could be civil monetary penalties. We could also deny payment, and as a - certainly, as a last resort, terminate them from the Medicare and Medicaid programs," an official explained, emphasizing the administration's goal is "to bring healthcare facilities into compliance."
