In the meantime, just after the change in Presidential administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration provided stronger guidance for employers and employees on COVID-19 in the workplace, which we discussed in detail in our JanuE-lert. Nonetheless, we expect that it should be released at some point in the near future. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention then revised its guidance for fully-vaccinated individuals (as discussed in our updated blog post), and commentators believe the ETS required revision accordingly, which delayed its release. The ETS was sent to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget for review in May, which suggested it would be released shortly thereafter. It was supposed to have been issued by March 15, 2021. In addition, local jurisdictions, such as Baltimore City, may still have restrictions – like masking while indoors – with which employers must comply.ĬOVID-19 Workplace Safety Standards. The Biden administration has been promising a COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that would be applicable to and mandatory for all workplaces. This does not mean a return to normal, however, as federal guidance still applies, and more state guidance should be forthcoming shortly. For Maryland businesses, we thought it might be helpful to summarize where we stand as of early June 2021.Īlthough Maryland remains in a state of emergency, at this time, the Governor has lifted many of the restrictions that impact the private workplace, such as shutdown orders, most masking requirements, group limitations, travel, etc. Workplace guidance on COVID-19 keeps shifting at the federal and state level, which poses a challenge for all employers. This is real.NOTE: This post has been updated for guidance from the Maryland DOL on paid leave under the Essential Workers Protection Act. The vaccines are highly protective against these severe outcomes. William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the Washington Post: “There are people who still doubt the severity of Covid-19 and the effectiveness of the vaccine … This is still a serious illness. States with below-average vaccination rates have almost triple the rate of new Covid-19 cases compared with states with above-average vaccination rates, according to new data from Johns Hopkins University, CNN reported, and in one example a federal government “surge team” was deployed to south-west Missouri to provide public health support. The recommendation contrasts with guidance from the CDC, which in May said that those who are vaccinated do not have to wear masks indoors. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a recommendation saying that everyone, including those who have been vaccinated, should wear masks indoors in light of the spread of the Delta variant. Rapid rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine this year prevented an additional 279,000 deaths and 1.25m hospitalizations, according to research from the Commonwealth Fund released on Wednesday.īut public health experts warn that the continued spread of the Delta variant could cause another surge in cases. “We’re in a race against this Delta variant, which spreads very fast, and every state is going to be faced with this.”ĭata has made it clear that the vaccine has worked to dramatically reduce the number of Covid cases and deaths in the country. “The solution is the vaccinations,” said Asa Hutchinson, Republican governor of Arkansas, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. Some vaccine hesitancy appears to be closely tied to political beliefs, with a recent poll showing almost twice as many declared Democrats as Republicans saying they had been vaccinated.įor some there is longstanding mistrust of government health programs, and some efforts at public outreach are being hampered by misinformation, spread especially via social media. Vaccination rates vary widely by state and region, with states on the west coast and in the north-east seeing the highest rates, while states in the south are seeing some of the lowest. The percentages fell short of Biden’s goal of 70% of adult Americans vaccinated with at least one dose by the Fourth of July. Fauci, the country’s top public health official, has said that in June, 99.2% of Covid deaths in the US could be attributed to those who are unvaccinated.ĬDC data shows that about 67% of American adults aged 18 or older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 58% are fully vaccinated.
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