On Wednesday, August 18, President Biden delivered his remarks regarding the progress of COVID-19. Cases are continuing to rise in low-vaccinated states, and school has just begun for many students this week. For these reasons, Biden is now proposing for the Secretary of Education to oversee governors that may push local school officials from requiring masks for students.
Biden says that if we can get more schools to push for mask mandates, we will be able to keep more children safe during the future school months. He hopes that it could also potentially lower the number of cases in states with some of the lowest vaccination rates.
In other news, Biden has now announced more job sites that are requiring their workers to receive the vaccine. Colleges, businesses, healthcare vicinities, and more are now requiring their employees to receive the vaccine.
Here is a new list of job sites that are requiring the vaccine for employees:
- Federal workers
- Medical staff
- Contractors
- VA hospital staff
- Nursing home staff
- Military
- AT&T
- McDonald’s
With more jobs now requiring the vaccination for work, Biden hopes that we will be able to increase our chances for herd immunity. He also hopes that by requiring nursing home staff to receive the vaccine, we will be able to reduce the risk of elderly patients being exposed to COVID-19.
“Vaccination requirements have been around for decades. Students, healthcare professionals, and our troops are typically required to receive vaccines to prevent everything from Polio to Smallpox, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella,” said Biden during his briefing. “It only makes sense to require a vaccine that stops the spread of COVID-19.”
Biden encourages everyone to continue to stay safe and wear their masks in crowded vicinities. He also encourages everyone to continue to get vaccinated and receive the booster shot when it becomes readily available.