President Joe Biden is set to announce Thursday a new mandate that will require all federal employees to get vaccinated against covid-19. Biden is also asking the U.S. Department of Labor to issue a ruling that will require companies with at least 100 employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. This requirement could carry a $14,000 fine per violation and it is estimated that these changes will affect about two-thirds of all workers in the United States.
This new measure is part of a broader attempt to pressure the unvaccinated to get the jab amid a surge in COVID-19 cases from the fast-spreading Delta variant.
“Our overarching objective here is to reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. She also noted that 80 million still have not been vaccinated. “We want to reduce that number, decrease hospitalizations and deaths and allow our children to go to school safely.”
In addition to the new mandates, Biden will also announce vaccination requirements for healthcare workers at hospitals and other institutions that participate in Medicare and Medicaid social programs for poor, disabled and older Americans, senior administration officials said.
In efforts to help testing become more affordable, big retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger will start selling at-home rapid tests for no profit for the next three months. Medicaid will cover at-home tests for free for beneficiaries. Additionally, the federal government will expand a free testing program to 10,000 pharmacies.
Per White House press secretary Jen Psaki, there will be limited disability and religious exceptions to the federal employee vaccine requirement. Those who are not exempt and do not comply will be subject to disciplinary action, including possible termination.
Biden’s Thursday evening speech is expected to also detail mask-wearing, protecting the economic recovery from the pandemic-induced recession, and improving healthcare for people infected with COVID-19.
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