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Biden’s vaccine mandate to be enforced after the New Year, offering U.S. companies relief -Breaking

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© Reuters. FILEPHOTO: U.S. president Joe Biden addresses a reporter about coronavirus diseases (COVID-19), vaccinations and booster shots, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Washington. September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn

Nandita, David Shepardson, and Ahmed Aboulenein

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – President Joe Biden will start enforcing the mandate that all private-sector employees be vaccinated for COVID-19, or have their weekly testing starting Jan. 4. This is a temporary relief to those companies facing labor shortages due to US holiday season.

On Thursday, U.S. officials also announced that a federal contractor requirement to be immunized was moved back one month. Millions of employees in hospitals and nursing homes that are part of Medicare and Medicaid must also get their vaccines before January 4.

Biden set the conditions for increasing vaccination rates and getting more people back on their feet. However, in numerous meetings with representatives of retailers and logistics firms, as well as construction workers, executives urged the Administration to postpone the implementation deadline until after New Year’s Eve, because they were concerned about worker shortages.

The rule also exempts employers from the obligation to pay or provide tests.

Senior administration officials stated that if the mandate is not followed, there will be a $14,000 fine for each violation. This scale increases as you commit more violations. It was not clear if workers would be fired for refusing to have their shots or being tested.

Senior administration officials stated that “It is crucial to recognize that so many workers remain unprotected and at risk of being seriously ill, or even dying from COVID-19.”

Officials from the administration spoke under condition of anonymity.

Biden originally set July 4th as the deadline to ensure that at least 70% of Americans get a shot. However, the White House failed to meet the deadline due in part because it underestimated the growing anti-vaccine sentiment within the country, which was fuelled by right-wing talk shows hosts, anti vaxxers and online disinformation campaigns, along with resistance from Republican legislators.

Biden was given his mandate by President Obama in September, after the failure of his administration to stop the spread of the virus.

Unsurprisingly, large numbers of people refused to receive free vaccines in spite of a massive rollout by the government, which involved 42,000 pharmacies and dozens of vaccination sites.

This worked well in many places across the United States. People lined up to receive shots. In many areas of America, the rate has increased. According to recent statistics, 70% of adults in America have been fully vaccinated. Another 80% of Americans have had at least one shot.

According to U.S. statistics, an average of 1100 Americans still die each day from COVID-19. The vast majority are unvaccinated. Coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 750,000 Americans.

The mandate is likely to unleash https://www.reuters.com/world/us/bidens-covid-19-strategy-thwarted-by-anti-vaxxers-delta-variant-2021-07-29 a frenzied legal battle that will hinge on a rarely used law and questions over federal power and authority over healthcare.

A senior administrator explained that OSHA has the legal authority to make the emergency temporary rule.

The White House estimates that the mandate will affect businesses employing 100 people or more and may have a significant impact on approximately 84 millions workers across America. The mandate could result in as many as 12,000,000 people being vaccinated according to Goldman Sachs’ (NYSE:).

Biden also issued an executive order requiring all federal employees and contractors to be immunized. The rules apply to 100 million Americans, or roughly two-thirds, of America’s workforce.

According to data from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the rule for healthcare workers applies to 17 million healthcare workers in 76,000 facilities, even though most of them have been vaccinated.

According to the administration, the rule is expected to prevent 250,000 hospitalizations during its implementation and will also save thousands of life during the next six months.

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