Biden Administration Vaccinate Mandate
As COVID-19 continues to infect thousands of Americans every day, President Joe Biden urges the nation to get vaccinated and stop the spread.
As COVID-19 continues to infect thousands of Americans every day, President Joe Biden urges the nation, once again, to get vaccinated and stop the spread. Biden’s initial plan made the vaccination process as accessible and smooth as possible. His administration organized free transportation to vaccine sites and paid time off for employees. His more recent plan, however, focuses less on passive efforts and takes a more aggressive approach.
On September 9, 2021, the Biden administration announced a plan to get more Americans vaccinated. Part of this plan is to “require all employers with 100 or more employees” to be fully vaccinated or show a negative COVID test each week to their employer. This requirement will apply to both private businesses and federal institutions with the goal of “protect[ing] the vaccinated from the unvaccinated”.
Furthermore, Biden attests to the urgency and necessity of masking and testing in his speech. The Defense Production Act will increase testing, making at-home testing kits available at retailers such as Walmart and CVS. As of September 9th, masks will be required in “federal buildings and on federal lands, on airlines, and other modes of transportation” and fines for travelers who refuse to wear masks were doubled to prevent mask resistance.
These implementations were only a portion of Biden’s speech on September 9th. He also announced the creation of a 2-million-dollar loan program for small businesses if “COVID-19 impacts their sales.” Additionally, Biden announced that he will be doubling the number of military health teams across the country and increasing the availability of monoclonal antibody treatments across the country.
The Biden administration’s efforts to vaccinate over 100 million Americans has received both praise and criticism with COVID-19 being a divided topic. The majority of the backlash comes from Republican Governors, such as Florida’s Ron DeSantis who stated he will “fight against any unlawful vaccine mandates”. Similarly, Texas Governor Greg Abbott argued that “the federal government needs to stop trying to run private businesses,” signing an executive order to prevent vaccine mandates in response. On the other end of the political spectrum, the president’s plan received support from blue-state governors such as California Governor Gavin Newsom who ordered the first state-wide vaccination measure for teachers and healthcare workers.
As COVID-19 continues to infect thousands of Americans every day, President Joe Biden urges the nation to get vaccinated and stop the spread.All these efforts work to combat the increase of COVID-19 cases and stop the surge of the new delta variant. Per Biden’s order, the Department of Labor is currently developing an emergency rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to either ensure their workers are fully vaccinated or that they are continuously negative for COVID-19. Despite this mandate, nearly 30% of employed Americans expressed that they would not take the vaccine, even if it costs them their job. Nonetheless, employees who do not have a medical or religious exemption will be required to show proof of vaccination about 75 days after the executive order is signed.
President Biden’s recent COVID-19 remarks are available through the White House website for further information. To learn more about California’s vaccination requirements, please refer to Governor Newsom’s announcement from early October. To stay up to date on the status of COVID-19 in California, California for All regularly tracks cases, safety measures, and resources.
UPDATE: Janaury 26, 2022, the Biden administration officially withdrew law mandating big companies to get vaccianted or face regular COVID testing requirements.
