Indiana’s Road to Recovery

CDC: Guidance for the Fully Vaccinated now recommends wearing a mask indoors. Decisions to require masks are being made in Indiana at the local level for counties and school systems.

COVID Stops Here campaign from the Indiana Chamber and Wellness Council of Indiana; recognizes employers with at least a 70% vaccination rate among employees and offers guidance for those companies not yet at that level.

Chamber statement on President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employers with more than 100 employees. The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule to put that mandate into action to ensure those workforces are fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work. OSHA will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard to implement this requirement, which will impact over 80 million workers in private sector businesses. No additional specifics or timetable have been announced.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HIPPA rules do not apply to employers or employment records. HIPAA only applies to HIPAA-covered entities – health care providers, health plans and health care clearinghouses – and, to some extent, to their business associates. Thus, employees in general can ask employees about their vaccine status or require proof of vaccination – that is not a HIPAA violation (unless a HIPPA-covered entity). Employees may decide whether or not to provide that information to their employer.

We encourage any employer considering or implementing a vaccine mandate to consult legal counsel to ensure the policy is in line with federal law and guidelines. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a mandatory workplace vaccination program must meet standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of being “job related” and “consistent with business necessity.” Under the ADA, employers are generally required to provide reasonable accommodations for employees who, due to a disability, do not get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Info on employers hosting vaccine clinics or group attending an existing clinics. 

As employers, it is imperative to understand that we remain in the midst of a pandemic, with Indiana seeing a growing number of COVID cases. Wellness Council of Indiana Executive Director Jennifer Pferrer discusses best practices for employers:

OPERATING YOUR BUSINESS

Indiana Chamber CEO Kevin Brinegar on vaccinations: “The more Hoosiers get vaccinated, the sooner our businesses and the lives of our workers can get back to a semblance of normalcy. I encourage you to consider sharing one of these convenient state options

FOR YOUR HEALTH 

HELPING HOOSIERS IN NEED

The pandemic has ushered in a food insecurity crisis in Indiana. Below is a list of major food pantries throughout the state to consider for donation.

Chamber Operations Effective July 5, 2021

The Indiana Chamber office is now open to visitors. Staff is working on-site and remotely to help meet your needs; access contact information for all Chamber team members.

NOTE: The Chamber is strongly encouraging ALL staff and visitors to wear a mask, in line with national and local recommendations. Masks are available at our front desk.