The Biden administration is considering mandating federal workers to get vaccinated or face testing.

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Officials said Tuesday that the Biden administration is considering requiring all federal employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or forcing them to undergo regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel, a radical shift in President Biden’s approach. It reflects the government’s growing concern about the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

Biden said Tuesday that a vaccine mandate for all federal workers is under consideration, but did not provide details. Administration officials said the idea being discussed is similar to a plan announced by New York City, which would require any of the 300,000 city employees who refuse to be vaccinated to undergo weekly testing.

Officials said there is no consideration for firing employees who refuse to be vaccinated, but the government could add additional burdens or restrictions on those who do not get protection in an effort to persuade more people to get the vaccine in the first place. They said there is evidence that making life uncomfortable for those who refuse the vaccine works reasonably well to increase vaccination rates.

Across the country, mayors, business leaders, hospital administrators and university presidents are asking for Covid-19 vaccines, even for those who have refused to voluntarily roll up their sleeves. So far, Mr. Biden has resisted. It has not yet required that all federal workers be vaccinated. He did not order the military to open fire. Nor has he used his bully pulpit’s plea to extend the use of vaccine mandates.

But the president’s position could change quickly.

Inside the West Wing, his top public health experts are hotly debating the right path forward, according to administration officials, as the delta variable rises in places with large numbers of unvaccinated Americans, posing a particular threat to children, the elderly and cancer. Patients and others with weakened immune systems.

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