Watch for Federal Guidance COVID-19 Worker Protections

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With the new administration moving forward quickly on COVID-19 response (as outlined in the 200-page National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness issued last week, TAG is recommending that businesses keep a close eye on the actions and publications of the Biden Administration.)

The strategy includes plans for the federal government to undertake action to protect workers and issue stronger worker safety guidance. Among the items were an Executive Order Protecting Worker Health and Safety directing OSHA, in consultation with CDC, to:

• Issue updated guidance on COVID-19 worker protections. This guidance is to be released within two weeks and provide a foundation for businesses to understand how to keep their workplaces safe.

• Assess the need for emergency temporary standards. Immediately start work to determine whether to issue emergency temporary standards, which would create enforceable requirements to protect workers. If issued, this standard would direct employers to adopt plans to keep workers safe and healthy, and make clear how those standards are enforced by OSHA

Additionally, OSHA is to strengthen its enforcement efforts, launching a National Emphasis Program to focus enforcement resources on workplace violations that put the largest number of workers at serious risk. President Biden has also called on Congress to provide additional funds to bolster enforcement efforts.

With these expanded directives for worker safety, compounded by the continuing spread of the variants in the U.S., TAG recommends that all businesses continue all protections and assess their programs for true worker safety.

Although vaccines are rolling out, a new model by scientists at Columbia University is showing that regardless of vaccines, a premature relaxation of current risk mitigation measures would lead to a significant number of additional infections in the US before mid-summer. As the article states, “if precautions like working remotely, limiting travel, and wearing masks are relaxed too soon, it could mean millions (29 million) more infections and thousands more deaths.”

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• In Friday’s Recommendations for Industry, we explored President Biden’s new Federal Strategy – and a new TAG Vaccine Manual!

• United States' President Joe Biden and the incoming administration has released the “National Strategy for The COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness”

• President Biden is also encouraging “masking up” to reduce spread so that more businesses can be open. Masks will be required in airports, trains, intercity busses, etc. Additionally, the new Executive Order requires international travelers to show proof of having a negative COVID-19 test before coming to the U.S.

• NPR reports that both the National Institutes of Health and the Infectious Diseases Society of America continue to update COVID-19 treatment guidelines, essentially giving a “scorecard on COVID-19 drugs”. 

• Nature reports that there is growing evidence “that some coronavirus variants could evade immune responses triggered by vaccines and previous infection”. However, this is still under investigation and “the picture is murky” as the results do not yet indicate the full importance.

  • From the emerging data, the B1117 variants “shouldn’t make a difference to the vaccine’s effectiveness but could as antibody levels wane over time.”

  • There may be a dampened response to the 501Y.V2 variant.

• It is now believed that the B117 COVID-19 variant likely has been circulating in California and Florida since mid-November. There are currently 122 confirmed cases in 20 states.

• In addition to TAG’s Vaccine Q&A, the New England Journal of Medicine has its own COVID-19 vaccine FAQ.

• Although travel restrictions were set to be lifted by outgoing U.S. President Trump for 26 countries in the Schengen zone and Brazil, starting January 26th, incoming President Joe Biden is expected to block this order, due to the increasing rise in COVID-19 variants and coronavirus spread.

• Kaiser Health reports that Black Americans are less likely to (and currently) not being vaccinated at the same rates as whites; due to lack of access and anti-vaccine sentiment.