In arguably the most far-reaching move of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration announced [earlier this month] that federal workplace safety officials will soon issue a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to either ensure their workers are vaccinated or require unvaccinated employees to produce a weekly negative test result before coming to work. Businesses will also be required to give workers paid time off to get vaccinated and to recover from any vaccine side effects as part of the forthcoming emergency rule expected from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). (Editor’s Note: On a September 10 webinar, Labor Department officials stated that while employers must provide paid time off for employees to receive and/or recover from the vaccine, employers could require employees to use their existing paid time off for this purpose.) The announcement was part of the Biden administration’s "Path Out of the Pandemic," which outlines a six-pronged, comprehensive national strategy to combat COVID-19, which also includes vaccine mandates for federal contractors (discussed here) and many additional healthcare workers, and providing further access to federal financial assistance. Here is a summary of the expected rule along with a five-step action plan you can implement immediately.