Biden mandates vaccination for 100mn Americans
WASHINGTON: In his most forceful pandemic actions and words, President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered sweeping new federal vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million Americans - private-sector employees as well as health care workers and federal contractors - in an all-out effort to curb the surging Covid-19 Delta variant.
Speaking at the White House, Biden sharply criticised the millions of Americans who are not yet vaccinated.
“We’ve been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us,” he said. The unvaccinated “can cause a lot of damage, and they are”.
The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. And the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated.
Biden is also requiring vaccination for employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government - with no option to test out. That covers several million more workers.
Vaccine compulsory for schoolkids in Los Angeles Children aged 12 or over who attend public schools in Los Angeles will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by the start of next year, city education chiefs said on Thursday, the first such requirement by a major education board in the US.
The vote by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) - the second biggest in the country - comes as the US grapples with surging coronavirus numbers, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. Around 600,000 students attend a public school managed by LAUSD, about 220,000 of whom are eligible for a vaccine. Kelly Gonez, LAUSD board president, welcomed the decision.
“The vaccine is safe, effective, & the best way to keep our students protected against the virus,” she tweeted.
Denmark lifts domestic Covid-19 restrictions Denmark’s high vaccination rate has enabled the Scandinavian country to become one of the first European Union nations to lift all domestic restrictions.
The return to normality has been gradual, but as of Friday, the digital pass - a proof of having been vaccinated - is no longer required when entering night clubs, making it the last virus safeguard to fall.
More than 80% of people above the age of 12 have had the two shots. As of midnight, the Danish government no longer considers Covid-19 “a socially critical disease”.
Health minister Magnus Heunicke said last month that “the epidemic is under control” but warned: “we are not out of the epidemic” and the government will act as needed if necessary.