Headline Roundup • September 10th, 2021
Perspectives: Biden's Call for Vaccine Mandates
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The idea of mandating the COVID-19 vaccine has been one of the pandemic's more divisive issues, and that debate gained new momentum Thursday as President Joe Biden called for mandatory vaccines for roughly 100 million Americans. Biden said the vaccine should be mandated for federal employees, with no alternative option for weekly testing. He also called for private companies with 100+ workers to either mandate vaccines or test employees for COVID-19 weekly. Roughly 54% of Americans are fully vaccinated. A recent Gallup (Center bias) poll says majorities of Americans support vaccine mandates at offices, restaurants, hotels and events with large crowds.
Biden's call for mandates prompted reactions from voices across the spectrum. Many left-rated voices expressed support for the move, framing Biden's efforts as a "war on the unvaccinated" and suggesting that the unvaccinated deserve significant blame for the continued COVID-19 pandemic and economic instability. Right-rated voices often opposed the mandates, with many arguing that though the vaccines have proven safe and effective, mandating them is an unconstitutional encroachment on personal liberty. Some also highlighted how Biden and other public officials expressed opposition to federal vaccine mandates until the past month or so.
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(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
They’re a source of frustration. A risk to their fellow citizens. A threat to the nation’s economic recovery.
President Joe Biden is trying to concentrate the anger of the nation’s inoculated majority against the stubborn 25% of eligible Americans who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19.
Nearly 8 months after declaring “war” on the coronavirus as he took office, Biden announced far-reaching new federal requirements Thursday that could force millions to get shots. In doing so, he embraced those who haven’t rolled up their sleeves as a new foe amid a devastating...
PHOTO BY THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY/GETTY IMAGES/GETTY
In order to tackle the spread of COVID in the U.S., President Joe Biden made a U-turn on mandatory vaccination on Thursday when he announced that all federal employees must be vaccinated over the coming months or their jobs may be at risk.
The mandate could potentially affect up to 100 million Americans. Employers with more than 100 employees must ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested weekly, while federal contractors must be vaccinated. The move reflects measures employed in California and New York.
The U.S. is no stranger to protecting the health...
(Oliver Contreras/UPI/Newscom)
Right up until the moment that he declared all large private employers in the country would be forced to require COVID-19 vaccinations, President Joe Biden consistently opposed COVID vaccine mandates. And he was not alone: Speaking in her capacity as an official White House spokesperson, Press Secretary Jen Psaki explicitly stated "that's not the role of the federal government."
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also said there would be no mandate.
On December 4, 2020, Biden said the vaccine would not be imposed by mandate. "No,...
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