President Joe Biden of the United States has announced new Covid-19 regulations requiring large-scale employers to vaccinate their employees or face weekly testing. The measures also include a vaccination requirement for millions of federal government employees, and they come as the number of cases in the country continues to rise.
With the emergence of the more transmissible Delta form, hospitals in some states have hit capacity. Around 100 million workers will be affected by the new regulations. “This isn’t about personal choice or freedom; it’s about protecting yourself and others around you,” Trump said as he revealed his plan. Since last year, almost 650,000 Americans have perished as a result of Covid-19. In the United States, 80 million people are still unvaccinated.
In a speech at the White House on Thursday, Vice President Biden unveiled his plan. He said he has asked the US Department of Labor to force all private enterprises with 100 or more employees to require the shot or at least once a week request documentation of a negative coronavirus test from employees.
Nearly 17 million healthcare workers at facilities receiving federal benefits will also face the same requirements, he said. Some Republicans reacted angrily to the plan, arguing that the government should not interfere in people’s personal health decisions. “Biden and the radical Democrats [have] thumbed their noses at the Constitution,” stated South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.
The time for sweet-talking and persuading Americans to get the Covid-19 vaccine has passed. The moment has come for government mandates. That was Joe Biden’s direct message to the nation on Thursday afternoon. While many Americans have had at least one vaccination, the president blamed the unvaccinated 25% of the population and politicians who he said were “actively seeking to undermine the fight” for the country’s continuing health concerns.
Mr. Biden said that his new vaccine orders were not about freedom or personal choice, but some Americans would see them as a forced choice between immunization and keeping their jobs. While the regulations may boost the number of Americans who are vaccinated, they will also enflame an already tense political debate.
Mr. Biden offered an upbeat speech in July about how Americans would soon declare their “independence” from the virus. That day of independence has yet to arrive due to the Delta variation. As a result, the US economy has suffered, as have popular perceptions of the president’s handling of the pandemic. This is Vice President Biden’s attempt to utilize government power to change the tide.
The president’s plan enlists the full force of his administrative authority to force unvaccinated Americans to get the vaccine. Some of his initiatives address frequent concerns among Americans who have not yet received the vaccine, such as not wanting to miss work or recover from side effects.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will announce rules that major employers provide paid time off for workers to get vaccinated in the coming weeks, according to the president (Osha). Businesses who do not follow the new guidelines might face fines of thousands of dollars each infringement.
A separate federal mandate trumps Mr Biden’s prior order, which allowed government employees to undergo regular testing if they did not want to be vaccinated. The White House estimates that 2.5 million government workers will be affected. Employees who refuse to take the vaccine may now be sacked.
Approximately two-thirds of all US workers must now be vaccinated, according to the rule.