The Biden administration will ask every federal government employee and on-site contractor to attest to their vaccination status against the novel coronavirus while encouraging local and state governments to offer $100 as an incentive for people to roll up their sleeves.
But President Joe Biden insisted Thursday the dramatic policy shift was not partisan politics, praising Republican vaccine advocates.
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“This is not about red states and blue states. It’s literally about life and death,” he said. “With freedom, comes responsibility. So please, exercise responsible judgment. Get vaccinated.”
BIDEN INCHES TOWARD VACCINE MANDATE FOR FEDERAL WORKERS
Biden’s announcement coincides with the more contagious delta variant of COVID-19 spreading around the country. The resurgence has led to an uptick of cases, even among vaccinated people. The president said his medical and public health experts advise that booster shots are not needed yet.
The new policy means federal workers who cannot “attest” that they are fully vaccinated will be required to wear a mask regardless of their location, physically distance from their colleagues and visitors, comply with weekly or twice weekly testing requirements, and be subject to travel restrictions.
More than 4 million people are employed by the federal government, including upward of 2 million civilians.
Biden implored the Department of Defense and private sector on Thursday to take similar steps. Specifically, he asked the Pentagon to add the COVID-19 shot to its list of necessary jabs.
As part of the updated strategy to boost vaccination rates, small- and medium-sized businesses are eligible to be reimbursed for providing employees paid leave so they can take family members, including children, to vaccination appointments. Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus spending package currently reimburses those businesses for giving paid leave to their staff to receive the shot themselves.
Biden also called on state, territory, and local governments to incentivize the vaccination in their respective jurisdictions with unused funds from the coronavirus spending package. Financial incentives, such as $100, have proved successful so far, according to the president.
“I know paying people to get vaccinated might sound unfair to folks who have gotten vaccinated already. But here’s the deal — if incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them,” he said.
And to elevate vaccination rates among children older than 12, Biden wants school districts nationwide to host at least one pop-up vaccination clinic over the coming weeks with supplies from the federal pharmacy program.
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“We can and we must open schools this fall — full time,” Biden said Thursday.
