GREENSBORO, N.C. — The White House announced Tuesday that businesses with 100 or more workers must get the COVID-19 vaccine or test weekly by January 4, but in North Carolina, that could extend to government workers, including teachers.
It has to do with how our state's Department of Labor works.
When it comes to workplace safety, there are two types of states to consider. Some follow the feds while others have their own OSHA-approved plans.
North Carolina is one of 22 states with its own plans, which means we don't have to immediately follow the federal mandate.
Our labor department can make some tweaks, but whatever the final plan is, it will apply to private and public workers, including those in public schools.
North Carolina Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson has 15 days to come up with our state's plan for at least 1.2 million workers. However, there are limits to what he can do.
"It's not like I have full discretion to either implement that for North Carolina or not," Dobson said. "I want to get to, yes, but this is the wrong approach, and it's unfortunate that North Carolina is in a situation."
Dobson said he does not want a vaccine mandate and he'd rather use a combination of other protocols.
"For instance, temperature checks at the door before an individual enters the facility, handwashing stations, and if someone tests positive, quarantine policies," Dobson said.
No matter what, he cannot just say no. The state plan has to be "at least as effective" as the federal requirements.
"If I just simply refuse without trying to find a path forward that works for North Carolina," Dobson said. "The federal government would come in and they would have the authority."
Dobson worries about the cost and the enforcement of the federal mandate.
"They did not give us the resources to do it. We have roughly 110 compliance officers that cover our state and that's unfair to ask that of them," Dobson said.
Many employers, including school districts, will have to wait and see what happens. If Dobson adopts the Federal policy as is, employers would need to have their policy in place by January 4.