The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has suspended its activities related to the implementation and enforcement of its COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), published on November 5, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a motion to stay the ETS.

Applicable to employers with 100 or more employees, the ETS had mandated that, by January 4, 2022, all staff be fully vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. It also specified that unvaccinated employees are required to wear masks at all times and anyone who tests positive must leave the workplace immediately.

While OSHA says that it “remains confident in its authority to protect workers in emergencies,” activities related to the ETS are pending future developments in the litigation.

For a summary of OSHA’s ETS, click here. FAQs can be found here.