President Biden announces COVID-19 vaccine mandates that will affect 100 million Americans

To combat the Delta variant, which kills thousands every week and jeopardizes the country's economic recovery, President Joe Biden required federal employees and government contractors to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.President  Biden described the last wave of the pandemic as the "pandemic of the unvaccinated."

Holding a press conference at the White House, President Biden announced that he would sign an executive order that requires all federal employees to be vaccinated, and the Department of Labor would sign a presidential decree that requires all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure that their workforces are fully vaccinated or test negatively for the virus  once a week.

President Biden declared a six-step plan to stop the spread of Delta variant and increase vaccination rates across the US. According to this plan,

•      All employers with 100 or more employees will be required to ensure that their employees are vaccinated or tested weekly.

•      Access to booster vaccine doses for all suitable Americans will be provided.

•      Students and school staff will be tested regularly.

•      At-home tests will be made more cost-effective.

•      The loan forgiveness process will be made more manageable within the scope of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

•      Support will be increased for hospitals that are having a hard time due to the coronavirus.

The new measures announced by Biden are a part of a broader and more intensive effort to get Americans vaccinated. The plan also covers nearly two-thirds of all employees in the US.

The measures will affect millions, including those working at hospitals that have an agreement with the government to provide treatment covered by federal health insurance and those working in social welfare programs for low-income people, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly.

President Biden pointed out that despite America having an unprecedented vaccination program, nearly 80 million Americans still do not want to get vaccinated.

Biden said, "The vast majority of Americans are doing the right thing. Nearly three-quarters of the eligible have gotten at least one shot but, one-quarter have not gotten any. In a country as large as ours, that means nearly 80 million Americans are not vaccinated. That 25 percent can cause a lot of damage, and they are."

President Biden's message to unvaccinated Americans is as follows: "What more is there to wait for? What more do you need to see? We made the vaccines free, safe and effective. Over 200 million Americans have gotten at least one shot. We have been patient, but our patience is wearing thin. Your refusal has an impact on every one of us. Do the right thing. Listen to the voices of unvaccinated Americans who are lying in hospital beds taking their final breaths, saying, 'If only I had gotten vaccinated.' 'If only.' This is a tragedy. Please do not let it become yours."

President Biden has recently required the unvaccinated federal employees to adhere to testing and mask protocols strictly. In the new presidential decree, these requirements will be removed, and complete vaccination will be mandatory.

More Details: https://www.whitehouse.gov/covidplan/