Biden acts to counter spread of Delta variant

President Joe Biden took a series of measures to push vaccination against Covid-19 in the United States, including requiring millions of federal employees to be vaccinated or comply with a series of restrictions, according to a White House statement released Thursday, July 29.

Those who do not “prove to be fully vaccinated” will have to wear a mask at work, regardless of their location, maintain physical distancing from other employees, and “meet a requirement for weekly or twice-weekly screening tests,” the statement said.

The measures will apply to the four million federal employees and contractors on site.

Biden will also order the Pentagon to study adding the covid vaccine to its list of mandatory vaccinations for members of the military, and will ask state and local governments to offer $100 as an incentive for laggards to get vaccinated.

The United States is trying to reactivate a vaccination campaign that is slowing down after a strong start, as the rapid spread of the delta variant of the virus worries health authorities.