www.ktul.com
By Lily Cummings
President Joe Biden announced a COVID rule that would impact around 80 million Americans.
“I’m announcing that the Department of Labor is developing an emergency rule to require all employers with 100 or more employees, that together employ over 80 million workers, to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated,” Biden said, “Or show a negative test at least once a week.”
There are many businesses in Green Country with more than 100 employees that will have to make plans.
QuikTrip Corporate Communications Manager, Aisha Jefferson-Smith, said they employ approximately 24,000 people.
“QuikTrip is currently awaiting the final guidance and rulings from OSHA,” said Jefferson-Smith.
Tulsa Public Schools estimates it has 6,000 employees.
We are following the recent news around President Biden’s COVID-19 plan closely and will be reviewing it to understand if there are implications for Tulsa Public Schools. We know one of the most important (and most effective) safety practices to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is getting vaccinated. Since the spring, we have worked with local partners including the Tulsa Health Department, St. Francis Health System, and Ascension St. John to provide vaccination clinics for our teachers, support professionals, students, and families. We also partnered with the Native American nations to provide additional opportunities for our team to get vaccinated. We are inviting all eligible Tulsans who are not yet vaccinated to join us on Saturday, Sept. 11 from 10am-2pm for a vaccination clinic at our Education Service Center. Appointments are available at www.Tulsaschools.org/vaccine, and walk-ins are also welcome!
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. said the Cherokee Nation is ahead of the curve.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Cherokee Nation has relied on science, facts and compassion to make informed decisions best for the Cherokee people and to protect our elders, language and tribal communities. Part of our strategy started by ensuring our workplace and employees were the safest in the region, and we are now already ahead of the curve when it comes to tribal government employee vaccination rates, and mandatory COVID testing of our business employees. Within the Cherokee Nation tribal government nearly 75%of the 4,300 employees are already vaccinated after a May executive order offered employees a $300 incentive to get the vaccine. At Cherokee Nation Businesses, employees are taking mandatory COVID testing twice a week to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We have been reviewing options for additional testing and vaccine measures for our Cherokee Nation government workforce, including COVID testing requirements. We will make these decisions consistent with our status as a sovereign government and our proven commitment to public health and safety. We’re proud of our safety efforts, and our employees for doing their part to keep our entire tribe safe and to prevent unnecessary illness throughout our job sites and communities.
The City of Tulsa estimates it employs 3,500 people.
In an email to NewsChannel 8, the City said it will be following this closely as final requirements are provided.
