Americans seem as sharply divided over Covid-19 vaccine as they are over political views and strongly oppose vaccine mandates. Roughly 179 million people in the United States fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or 54.4% of the population (380 million doses). The mandate issue is among the most pressing political and economic debates the nation has seen as it struggles with how to get back to normal amid a resurgent virus and many Americans refusing to become vaccinated. Democrats and older Americans are the leading proponents of vaccine mandates while Republicans and younger Americans are the biggest opponents.
President Biden has announced the government’s strictest mandates yet for covid-19 vaccinations, with a combination of orders that will affect tens of millions of U.S. workers. The executive order focuses on three main groups; federal employees, federal contractors, and workers at companies with 100 or more employees. The 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. The roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated, under the mandate. In addition, Biden is also requiring vaccination for employees of the executive branch and contractors who do business with the federal government with no option to opt out. The requirement for large companies to mandate vaccinations or weekly testing for employees will be enacted through OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) that carries penalties of $14,000 per violation. Companies will be required to give paid time off for vaccination.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will extend a vaccination requirement for nursing home staff, hospitals, home-health agencies and dialysis centers. Vaccinations will also be required in Head Start Programs as well as schools run by the Department of Defense and Bureau of Indian Education. Federal workers who do not comply will be referred to their agencies’ human resources departments for counseling and discipline, to include potential termination. Republican leaders threatening to sue over vaccine mandate while much of America revolts.