Biden: Companies with 100+ employees must mandate vaccines or tests
Photo | State House News Service
President Joe Biden
In a White House speech that made clear his frustration with the status of the nation's fight against COVID-19, President Joe Biden said Thursday that the country is in the midst of a "tough stretch" of the pandemic that could last a while. He said it will take Americans coming together and the government using the tools at its disposal to overcome the virus.
The president laid out his six-point strategy to continue to combat COVID-19 by boosting vaccination rates, making at-home testing more available to citizens, upping the fines on travelers who refuse to wear a mask and taking steps to try to prevent another economic downturn. He also made direct pleas to unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated and to parents to have their kids 12 or older vaccinated.
"The path ahead, even with the Delta variant, is not nearly as bad as last winter. But what makes it incredibly more frustrating is we have the tools to combat COVID-19. And a distinct minority of Americans, supported by a distinct minority of elected officials, are keeping us from turning the corner," Biden said, referring to the roughly 80 million Americans who have not gotten vaccinated.
And the president began to use some of those tools Thursday, too -- he announced a series of orders intended to either mandate or encourage about 100 million Americans or two-thirds of the nation's workforce -- both in the public and private sectors -- to get vaccinated against the virus that has led to death, instability and uncertainty over the last 18 months.
The vast majority of federal workers, including contractors, will be required to become vaccinated against the coronavirus or face workplace discipline. On top of that, about 17 million health care workers in hospitals and other facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding will be compelled to get the vaccine, Biden said. The president had previously said federal workers who did not get the vaccine would have to get tested weekly.
Biden's orders will extend into the private sector, too. He said he is ordering the Department of Labor -- led by former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh -- to develop an emergency rule requiring all companies with 100 or more employees to mandate that their workers either be vaccinated or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing.
Biden said the rule would apply to about 80 million workers. He also said the companies affected by the forthcoming DOL rule will be required to provide paid time off for their workers to get vaccinated, which the president described as one of the last remaining obstacles stopping people from getting the shots.
"My message to unvaccinated Americans: What more is there to wait for? What more do you need to see? We made vaccinations free, safe and convenient. The vaccine has FDA approval. Over 200 million Americans have gotten at least one shot," the president said. "We've been patient, but our patience is wearing thin. And the refusal has cost all of us. So please do the right thing."
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