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To:
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Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI) Members
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From:
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Mark Biel, Chief Executive Officer
[email protected] or 217/522-5805
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Re:
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – OSHA Officially Withdrawing ETS for Vaccines, Masks; Vaccine Mandate on Foreign National Drivers; Update on Vaccinations; Update on COVID-19 Cases
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OSHA Officially Withdrawing ETS for Vaccines, Masks: Yesterday, OSHA announced that it is withdrawing the vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued on Nov. 5, 2021, to protect unvaccinated employees of large employers with 100 or more employees from workplace exposure to COVID-19. The withdrawal is effective today, January 26, 2022.
Although OSHA is withdrawing the vaccination and testing ETS as an enforceable emergency temporary standard, the agency is not withdrawing the ETS as a proposed rule. The agency is prioritizing its resources to focus on finalizing a permanent COVID-19 Healthcare Standard.
Vaccine Mandate on Foreign National Drivers: The federal government is imposing a vaccine mandate on foreign national drivers (not U.S. drivers) crossing the border into the U.S. at land ports of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) just released the specifics of the mandate that will apply to those of you which have Canadian or Mexican drivers that haul freight into the U.S. Commercial truck drivers will be subject to the mandate, unless they qualify for a very narrow exception. CBP advised that very few, if any would qualify for the exceptions.
Foreign national drivers will be required to demonstrate proof of being fully vaccinated as outlined by the CDC. Fully vaccinated means having two doses of an acceptable vaccine two weeks prior to entry into the U.S. or one dose of an acceptable vaccine that only requires a single dose (e.g., Johnson & Johnson) two weeks prior to entry. There is no testing requirement to enter the U.S., however, those who have symptoms may be referred to the CDC for a medical evaluation. CBP has confirmed that the requirements will be implemented in an identical manner as the vaccine requirements for foreign nationals entering the U.S. for non-essential travel that went into effect on November 8, 2021.
For more details on the U.S. requirements for foreign nationals, please see the following resources:
Update on Vaccinations: A total of 20,347,598 vaccines have been administered to Illinois residents. The average number of vaccines administered daily is 39,760. According to the state’s vaccine administration data, here’s how the rest of the state’s population by age groups ranks in terms of vaccinations:
5 years of age and older – 70% fully vaccinated; 80% one dose administered
12 years of age and older – 74% fully vaccinated; 84% one dose administered
18 years of age and older – 76% fully vaccinated; 85% one dose administered
65 years of age and older – 87% fully vaccinated; 95% one dose administered
The state has also updated its COVID-19 website containing current locations and other pertinent information on one webpage.
Update on COVID-19 Cases: IDPH is now reporting 2,867,299 positive tests of COVID-19 in Illinois since the pandemic began, which is an average increase of 22,546 positive tests per day since last reported here 7 days ago on January 19. In total, 50,359,271 tests have now been conducted in Illinois for the virus, an average of 199,855 per day since January 19.
The state’s average positivity rate over all 11 regions in the last 7 days is at 11.2%, which is a slight decrease from last week’s 12%. You can see where the various regions are at in terms of their positivity rates, hospitalizations, and other metrics at this link.
Unfortunately, IDPH is reporting a total of 30,419 deaths since the pandemic began, an average increase of 129 per day since January 19.
You can also check where these cases are occurring at the State of Illinois COVID-19 website which also contains more information on this outbreak.
For information on other states and countries, John Hopkins University has developed this website that provides invaluable resources at a one-stop location detailing testing and tracing trends, timelines of COVID-19 policies, vaccinations, and interactive maps.
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