President Biden unveils new plan to combat COVID-19, Delta variant surge

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Joe Biden announced a new strategy to combat the Delta surge of COVID-19 on Thursday.

Biden says all federal government employees and contractors will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In addition, all private businesses with 100 or more employees must require their employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. Employers will be required to offer paid time off for vaccination.

About 17 million health care workers in hospitals, clinics, and other facilities that accept Medicare and Medicaid payments must get vaccinated.

Employees of Head Start early childhood education and other federal education programs must get vaccinated, and he urged all governors to require vaccination for school district employees.

It is estimated that this new requirement will cover about 80 million workers, and businesses that do not comply could face substantial fees up to $14,000.

President Biden is also calling on large entertainment venues such as sports arenas, large concert halls, and other venues where large groups of people gather to require patrons be vaccinated or show a negative test for entry.

The President also announced several actions to increase testing, including mobilizing industry to expand easy-to-use testing production, making at-home tests more affordable, and expanding free pharmacy testing. Masking will still be required for interstate travel through January 18, 2022, and fines will double for those not in compliance.

For full details of Biden’s new strategy, click here.