Comment on: RIN 1218-AD42 COVID-19 vaccination and testing; emergency temporary standard

Public Rights Project submitted a comment in support of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing on behalf of 11 local governments, urging that OSHA adopt a rule supporting vaccination and testing regimes for employers. Under the ETS, employers with 100 or more employees must develop, implement, and enforce a COVID-19 vaccination-or-test policy, which requires employees to either get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work. We recognize the importance of a vaccination policy in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. The rule is also especially important for preserving the ability of local governments to protect the public health of their communities in states trying to ban vaccine and mask requirements.