Hopkinsville City Council heard an update regarding the possible OSHA temporary standard requiring COVID vaccinations and testing for employers with more than 300 employees which has been paused by the Supreme Court.
Human Resources Officer Kenneth Grabara explains the City of Hopkinsville has opted to use weekly testing of employees who are unvaccinated as well as written confirmation from those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
Grabara tells the News Edge the Supreme Court will be reviewing the OSHA standard on January 7th with the current effective date to go into play January 10th and the testing requirement to begin on January 9th.
At this time, he says they estimate 150 employees would be affected by the testing process.
With the increasing cost of COVID tests, he says they estimate the cost for six month period is around $39,000.
Grabara says the Supreme Court decision will determine whether the policy needs to be implemented which would be effective January 10. He adds the City would probably put a temporary process into place until he can bring a formal policy to City Council for their final approval.
