Joe Biden takes additional steps to combat COVID surge fueled by Delta variant

President Joe Biden ramped up efforts to stem the spread of Covid-19's rapidly spreading Delta strain on Thursday, ordering all federal employees in the United States to either declare themselves fully vaccinated or wear masks and be screened. In a speech about his administration's new efforts, the veteran Democrat remarked, “We have the tools to prevent this new wave of Covid from shutting down our businesses, our schools, our society as we saw happen last year." Before the speech, the White House announced that all four million government employees and on-site contractors "will be asked to attest to their vaccination status."

In addition to wearing a mask at work regardless of location or proximity to co-workers, those who do not declare that they are fully vaccinated will be tested regularly.  The actions do not include a vaccination mandate for federal employees, which was being explored as the administration considered methods to safeguard federal employees while also setting an example for the private sector.

They do, however, represent a dramatic return to controversial limits that Biden projected would be a thing of the past in June when he declared that America will be allowed to enjoy a "summer of freedom" with more mingling and in-person celebrations. Today, with hospitalizations and infections on the rise across the country, Americans must remain cautious, according to Biden.

“We are not fully out of the woods because what is happening in America right now is a pandemic, a pandemic of the unvaccinated," in words sure to antagonize some who have been reluctant to take part in the election, Biden said."If in fact, you are unvaccinated, you present a problem — to yourself, to your family, and to those with whom you work." Nevertheless, the president urged citizens not to politicize the issues of vaccinations or masks. “This is not about red states and blue states. It’s literally about life and death."

U.S. military gets new directive

With so much disinformation about vaccinations out there, Biden said it was time for some "straight talk" to cut through the nonsense fearmongering "with facts, science, and the truth." He practically begged people to get the vaccine, calling the outbreak a terrible "American tragedy."

“People are dying — and will die — who don’t have to die," he said. “If you’re out there and unvaccinated, you don’t have to die," Biden said he is instructing the Pentagon to look at adding Covid vaccines to the list of mandatory immunizations for US military personnel.

He also suggested that state and local governments pay $100 as an incentive to non-vaccinated people to be vaccinated, a nod to what the White House described as effective cash-for-jab programs currently in place in some places."If incentives help us beat this virus, I believe we should use them. We all benefit if we can get more people vaccinated," Biden said.

The rules regarding vaccinations or masking up and getting regularly tested should not just apply to federal workers, as Biden urged private sector employers to follow suit. He also had a message for companies seeking federal contracts: “If you want to do business with the federal government, get your workers vaccinated."

Small and medium-sized enterprises should take advantage of federal subsidies for giving employees paid time off to get themselves and their families vaccinated, according to the president. He also urged school districts to help get more teenagers vaccinated by conducting pop-up clinics in the weeks leading up to the start of the new school year.

The Covid comeback has sparked a vehement discussion in Congress over mask mandates, resulting in a bitter fight between Republican and Democratic leaders. Several Republican legislators are also openly opposed to the mask-up rules. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed top House Republican Kevin McCarthy as a "moron" for claiming that mask mandates don't work.