President Joe Biden on ruling all federal employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19
President Biden to sign executive orders that require vaccinations for all federal employees, contractors: "If you want to work with the federal government, do business with us: Get vaccinated. If you want to do business with the federal government: Vaccinate your workforce." pic.twitter.com/p51CVHMKE6
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 9, 2021
President Joe Biden on Thursday said he will require all federal employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the U.S. Department of Labor will issue a rule requiring that businesses with more than 100 employees have their workers vaccinated or tested weekly.
The new measures, which Biden laid out in remarks from the White House, cover about two-thirds of all U.S. employees, part of a broader, more aggressive attempt to get Americans vaccinated amid a surge in COVID-19 cases from the fast-spreading Delta variant.
“We’re in a tough stretch and it could last for a while,” Biden said. “We can and will turn the tide on COVID-19.”
Under Biden’s plan, the administration would also require vaccinations for more than 17 million 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 addition to the vaccination requirements, Biden is moving to double federal fines for airline passengers who refuse to wear masks on flights or to maintain face-covering requirements on federal property in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
