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‘We’re a little in the dark’: Business owners confused about federal vaccine requirements

CHARLOTTE — The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Friday challenging the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine requirements for large employers and certain health care workers.

One of those requirements is set to start on Monday and Channel 9 spoke with business owners about how the mandates could impact them.

On Monday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will require employers with at least 100 employees to get them vaccinated or tested weekly. OSHA will also require that employees wear face masks if they are not vaccinated.

The move, with few exceptions, is said to minimize the risk of transmitting COVID-19 within the workplace.

“We’re a little in the dark, honestly,” business owner Paul Manley said.

Manley owns a business that will be impacted by the requirements. He said he’s still not clear on how it will work or who will be helping with resources.

“Part of that whole equation is getting tested. So, if we’re going to mandate unvaccinated staff members to get tested weekly, how are they going to do that if testing is almost a full day’s worth of work right now?” Manley said.

Several other Charlotte-area business owners shared the same concerns. That was made clear, based on a recent survey through The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. The survey posed questions like: “How concerned are you as an employer with the requirement to pay for testing?”

The survey revealed that 46% of the 80 respondents said they were very concerned.

Though the latest guidelines only say employers should give paid time off for vaccinations, the survey asked about factors like return-to-work plans or the possibility of losing their staff to their competition because of the mandate.

“You know, with things like labor shortages and supply chain shortages,” Corey Correll said, who is an associate with the economic research team at the Charlotte Reginal Business Alliance. “The biggest takeaway that I found was, of course, that competition piece. That’s really something people are looking at. How is this going to impact our way of work?”

The survey showed that 48% of respondents are very concerned with losing their staff.

Paul Manley shares those fears.

“If all that pans out the way it’s scripted right now, it’s a huge disadvantage for us because you could just go down the street to a smaller employer. It takes a federal mandate and puts it on the shoulders of small business,” he said.

OSHA proves a two-page fact sheet that lays out all of the requirements. You can find that information here.

(WATCH BELOW: Judge blocks vaccine mandate for federal contractors in multiple states)