President Biden appears more forceful in making more and more Americans get vaccinated. But he stops short of using his presidential authority here.
When the vaccination drive first began showing the signs of a slowdown, President Biden opted for millions of dollars as an incentive. He wanted to see if that is what will take more shots into the arms of people. But in the face of the threat of the new surge of the Delta variant, he seems to go for stricter rules.
Biden Administration Looks To Impose Stricter Vaccine Rules Without Inviting Backlash
During the last 14 days, his administration is leaving federal workers with no choice, but to attest to their vaccination status. Otherwise, they are required to undergo stringent COVID 19 mitigation measures. He also met with representatives of numerous companies to ask them to follow suit in their firms.
In the meantime, his team is taking measures to mandate vaccination for those traveling to the US from abroad. It is also looking for ways to be more aggressive in this regard with State and local authorities. This includes offering support to those facing opposition from Republican Governors.
He thanked all the mayors, schools, and other local authorities for opposing those who politicize vaccines and mask mandates. They are there to protect our children, he said. However, even in this phase, he is refraining from using his ultimate presidential authority for the purpose. For instance, he is resisting the call to issue vaccine mandates for air travelers. The same is happening with the federal workers in the country. His attempt, it seems, is to make life difficult for the unvaccinated without inviting backlash. The US, at present, as everyone knows, is a greatly polarized nation.
Vaccine mandate is the right move at the time, the White House stated recently. The office has noted the general public’s increasing faith in vaccination. This, according to Biden’s team, is a boost to its campaign to prompt as many Americans as possible to get vaccinated.
A large number of Republicans see this as an overreach of the Biden Administration. The vast majority among them are those who eye the upcoming Presidential election. Governor of Florida, for instance, had spent days fighting with the federal authorities in the matter.
The Kaiser Family Foundation did a pole in recent days. It found that Biden has considerable support to make vaccination mandatory in the entire country. 51% of the participants felt that the Government should make vaccination mandatory for the Federal workforce. 45% opposed such a move.
Today, vaccination is a requirement for Federal workers. Those who refuse to receive their shots have to maintain social distance. They will also have to undergo other safety measures the system may have in place. The same applies to health professionals in the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services. Pentagon also announced that it plans to issue vaccine requirements for the armed forces of the nation.
These stringent measures come in the wake of the observation that more than 90000000 eligible Americans are yet to get vaccinated. Health officials too had announced that vaccination is the only way out of the Delta variant.
The White House, according to its officials, moved with much restraint in the initial phase. It wanted the country to prepare for strong measures like this. His measures were calculated attempts to ensure that all businesses in the country are prompted to follow this line.
Health professionals reiterate, even now, vaccines are the only tools available for the country to get back to normal. They also hope that the entire nation will back the move in the near future.