President Biden visited the Chicago area to not only push vaccine mandates but also make people aware of the consequences the economy would face if people go ahead unvaccinated for a long time. While championing vaccine requirements, Biden stressed how about roughly 67 million Americans who are still unvaccinated – some of them refusing to get vaccinated – are jeopardising national security and the country’s economic recovery as well.
He has now ordered more than a hundred million Americans to adhere to all vaccine requirements in the coming weeks. The administration is also working to encourage companies, employers and establishments in power to further push this agenda and encourage their employees and families to comply with testing requirements.
While meeting Scott Kirby, United Airlines CEO, Biden praised his company’s efforts in successfully implementing a vaccine mandate. United Airlines laid out a strict policy for its employees around vaccination and testing requirements, and the results showed. Only less than one per cent of people associated with the company failed to adhere. The president also instructed all airlines to take strict action against unruly passengers.
The extended rules instruct that employers who have more than a hundred workers have to either get them vaccinated as soon as possible or get them tested for the virus weekly. The mandate also paves way for about 17 million workers at several health facilities, receiving federal Medicare or Medicaid, to get entirely vaccinated. The mandates further require contractors who work alongside the federal government to get tested and vaccinated as per requirements, covering almost a million more workers on the ground.
Public health expert at Georgetown University Lawrence Gostin stated how the administration’s mandates are working well so far and if continued, may become a huge turnaround for the economy.
