“or make them get tested for COVID-19 once a week. “
If that was a cheap ($3-$5), do it at home test, that would be workable.
No that is the hook. Make people fall for it with this loop hole. Once the mandate is in place they can close that loophole at any time.
Also, once the mandate is allowed, it establishes a legal precedence that can be exploited to enact other Leftist agenda items by Executive Order