President Joe Biden this week is expected to announce his administration will require federal workers to be vaccinated for the coronavirus or else submit to strict testing measures, NBC News reported Wednesday.
Biden is set to unveil the new rules, which followed a White House internal policy review, during a speech Thursday, two administration officials told NBC.
The new measures arrive as the highly transmissible delta variant spreads around the world, including in the U.S., where it represents a huge proportion of new infections. Public health officials warn that the U.S. could face another surge in cases in the fall.
In preparation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday reversed its guidance on wearing masks indoors. The CDC now recommends that fully vaccinated people and kids once again start wearing masks indoors in places with high Covid transmission rates, as well as in schools.
That same day, Biden said it was “under consideration” whether the White House require all federal employees to be vaccinated.
One government agency has already taken the plunge. On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it would order its health-care workers to get inoculated. VA Secretary Denis McDonough said it was “the best way to keep Veterans safe.”
