Biden considering mandating a vaccine or testing for federal workers: NPR

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President Biden delivers remarks during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Hide caption

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President Biden delivers remarks during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday.

Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

President Biden is said to be giving “strong consideration” to new requirements for federal employees to help stop the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus.

One option under consideration: Verify that federal employees are vaccinated for COVID-19 with a “certificate of vaccination,” a source familiar with the deliberations told Tamara Keith of NPR.

Under the policy, federal employees who have not been confirmed to be vaccinated will be required to wear masks at all times while on the job and be tested regularly for the virus, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

The policy review is expected to be completed later this week.

Biden himself was asked by reporters on Tuesday if he was considering mandating a vaccine for the federal workforce. He replied, “It is under consideration now.”

In a statement, Biden said he will lay out his next steps on how to vaccinate more Americans on Thursday, noting that vaccinations are the best way to protect against the delta variant.

“More vaccinations and wearing of masks in the areas most affected by the delta variable will enable us to avoid the kind of lockdowns, closures, school closures and disruptions that we faced in 2020,” he said.

New CDC Guidelines

The president’s statement followed revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. The CDC reversed its position, recommending that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors if they are in places with “significant” or “high” spread of the virus.

Most US counties currently fall into these two categories.

“I hope that all Americans who live in areas covered by the CDC’s guidance will follow him; I certainly will when I travel to those areas,” Biden added in his statement.

The delta variant is at least twice as contagious as the strain that first spread in the United States and is the driving force behind a new increase in cases nationwide.

“This was not a decision that was taken lightly,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walinsky said Tuesday of the updated guidance.

But Walinsky said the agency has to take into account the increase in cases, and data that shows that while rare, vaccinated people can still contract and spread the virus.

“The delta variant is showing every day its desire to outsmart us,” she said.

Vaccine mandates are on the rise

The Federal Administration of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that it will require all frontline health care workers to receive the vaccination in the next two months.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that all city workers will either have to be vaccinated or take a weekly test for the virus. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a similar policy for state employees and health care workers.

The CDC now recommends comprehensive indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

NPR’s Roberta Rampton and Laurel Wamsley contributed.

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