President Joe Biden on Thursday took action to combat the spread of the growing delta version of COVID-19, asking every US federal worker to either declare that they were fully vaccinated or wear a mask and They are tested.
“We have the tools to stop this new wave of COVID from closing our businesses, our schools, our society like we saw last year,” the veteran Democrat said in a speech on his administration’s new initiatives.
The White House said before the address that all four million federal employees and on-site contractors “will be asked to certify the status of their vaccinations.”
Those who do not declare that they have been fully vaccinated must wear a mask at work, regardless of location, be at physical distance from co-workers, and be tested once or twice a week Will happen.
The move falls short of a vaccination mandate for federal workers—something that was being considered as the administration was considering ways to protect federal workers and setting an example for the private sector.
But they mark a dramatic return to controversial sanctions, which Biden predicted would be a relic of the past in June, when he announced that the US would be able to enjoy the “warmth of freedom” including more social and personal gatherings. would be able.
Biden said that today, with hospitalizations and infections sweeping the country, Americans need to be vigilant.
“We are not completely out of the woods, because what is happening in America right now is a pandemic, an epidemic of no vaccinations,” Biden said, adding that some people are sure to oppose those who have taken the shots. has refused.
“If in fact you are unvaccinated, you present a problem — for yourself, your family, and those you work with.”
Still, the president urged citizens not to politicize the issues of vaccination or masks.
“It is not about red states and blue states. It’s literally about life and death.”
New instructions to the US military
With vaccination misinformation, Biden said it is time to do some “straight talk” to dispel fake fears “with facts, with science, with truth.”
He virtually urged people to get vaccinated, as he described the pandemic as a heart-wrenching “American tragedy”.
“People are dying – and will die – who don’t have to die,” he said. “If you’re out there and without vaccinations, you don’t have to die.”
Biden said he is directing the Pentagon to conduct a study to add the Covid vaccination to its list of required vaccinations for members of the US military.
He also called on state and local governments to offer $100 as incentives for vaccinations — what the White House described as successful cash-for-jab efforts already implemented in some states.
“If incentives help us defeat this virus, I believe we should use them. If we can get more people vaccinated, we all benefit,” Biden said.
The rules for applying vaccinations or masks and getting tested regularly should not apply only to federal employees, as Biden urged private sector employers to follow suit.
He also had a message for companies seeking federal contracts: “If you want to do business with the federal government, get your employees vaccinated.”
The president also urged small and medium-sized businesses to take advantage of federal reimbursement for providing paid leave to employees to vaccinate themselves and their families.
And he called on districts to help get more teens vaccinated by hosting pop-up clinics in the weeks before schools reopen.
Biden’s tough love comes as the resurgence of Covid sparks a fiery debate in Congress over the mask mandate, leading to an ugly feud between Republican and Democratic leaders. Many Republican lawmakers are also in open rebellion against the masked rules.
When top House Republican Kevin McCarthy outraged on Wednesday that the mask mandate didn’t work, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called him an “idiot.”
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