Vaccination or fine: Biden tightens US vaccination requirements for COVID-19

US President Joe Biden issued two vaccination orders for federal workers and contractors on September 9. He announced new requirements for major employers and healthcare providers, which he said will affect about 100 million workers, more than two-thirds of the US workforce. The publication told about this in more detail. NBC News.

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“We've been patient, but our patience is wearing thin,” Biden said, speaking directly to the 80 million people he said are still unvaccinated. “Your refusal is worth the loss of life.”

The President announced that he has asked the Department of Labor to issue an emergency order requiring all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure that their workforce is fully vaccinated, or otherwise require all unvaccinated employees to take a COVID-19 test at least once a week . Failure to comply could result in a $14 fine, according to a senior administration official.

Employees working in healthcare facilities will have to get vaccinated, which will affect 7 million workers, Biden said.

As of July, 27% of the country's healthcare workers had not been vaccinated, according to a study by the Covid States Project.

The administration has begun to take such stringent measures because what Biden once called "the summer of freedom" ends with the deaths of thousands of unvaccinated Americans every week.

The Republican National Committee has announced that it will sue the Biden administration because it considers the mandate "unconstitutional" and "authoritarian."

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Biden has given federal officials the option to get regular testing over vaccinations, but testing cannot be avoided.

“It's simple: if you want to work for the federal government, you have to get vaccinated. If you want to do business with the government, you must vaccinate your workforce,” a White House official said.

To make testing more affordable, Biden announced that Walmart, Amazon and Kroger will begin selling home rapid tests seamlessly over the next three months, driving prices down 35%. Medicaid will also cover free home tests for program members, and the federal government will expand the free testing program to 10 pharmacies.

He also called on major entertainment venues such as sports arenas and concert halls to require proof of vaccination for entry and clarified that the TSA will double fines for travelers who refuse to wear a mask on airline and other modes of transport.

“If you break the rules, be prepared to pay,” Biden concluded.

To help address the spike in school cases that have led to hundreds of closures in the past month, the president has called on all schools to organize regular testing. In order to implement these safety measures, he plans to provide additional funds to local school districts, funding for which has been cut by the state government.

Biden announced, among other things, that 30 Head Start teachers would need to be vaccinated and urged governors to demand vaccinations for teachers and school staff.

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“Let me be clear: my plan also addresses elected officials and statements that undermine efforts to save lives,” the White House chief said. “If these governors don’t help us defeat the pandemic, I will use my presidential power to get them out of the way.”

The Department of Education has launched an investigation into whether mask mandates in five states discriminate against students with disabilities who are at increased risk of severe COVID-19, the official said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends offering testing to incompletely vaccinated students when there is an increased spread of the virus, and teachers and staff who are partially vaccinated should be screened regardless of the level of transmission.

Biden's ruling is prompted by the rapidly spreading Delta strain threatening to stall the country's economic recovery and thwart efforts to bring students back to the classroom. Just weeks after returning to school, tens of thousands of students and staff were forced to isolate themselves after school outbreaks.

Biden warned that the country is in a "tough period" of a pandemic that could "last for a while" due to the Delta strain and the multitude of unvaccinated people that he said "could do a lot of damage."

According to a FiveThirtyEight poll, Biden's approval rating for his actions in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak has steadily declined over the summer from 63% in late June to 53% in early September.

In early summer, the president talked about lowering the incidence to its lowest level since the start of the pandemic and predicted that 70% of the adult population would be vaccinated by Independence Day. White House officials have expressed hope that Biden's response to the pandemic will restore American confidence in the government.

“America is heading into a summer very different from last year: a summer of freedom, a summer of joy, a summer of gathering and celebration,” Biden said June 2. “The All-American summer this country deserves after the long, long, dark winter we’ve all endured.”

Summer was indeed different, but not what Biden expected. States like Florida have set records for the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, as new cases across the country have far exceeded the numbers seen last summer due to the spread of the Delta strain.

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But at the same time, Americans have fulfilled Biden's prediction of a return to celebrations and gatherings, which now leaves health officials wary of a new wave of infections after travel and meetings over the Labor Day weekend.

State-wide hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients across the country. In Idaho, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, officials said they are allowing health care providers to begin rationing health care to make scarce resources available to patients due to severe shortages of staff, beds and equipment.

There has been some improvement in the pace of vaccinations, which have begun to pick up again in recent weeks after leveling off in July. This week, the United States passed a certain milestone - 75% of the adult population was vaccinated.

In the United States, there has been a noticeable decline in the number of new cases and deaths over the past week. But health officials cautioned that the pattern is temporary — a more real impact will be seen after Labor Day weekend gatherings and after millions of children return to school this week.

Health officials have warned, among other things, of the winter spike, which could coincide with particularly severe flu seasons, with children back to school, more crowds than last winter, and mask requirements removed in much of the country.

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