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| US President Joe Biden spars with reporters over mask mandates. (Photo by= BBC) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] US President Joe Biden has called for states to offer $100 (£71) to the newly vaccinated in an effort to address flagging jab rates amid virus surges, BBC reported. The president also issued a strict new vaccine requirement for US federal workers, the nation's largest workforce with some two million people. The order requires employees to show proof of vaccination or be subjected to mandatory testing and masking. Just under half of the US is fully vaccinated, according to official data.
Speaking from the White House on Thursday, Mr Biden said that the new measures are a result of the highly contagious Delta variant's spread, made worse by a "pandemic of the unvaccinated". Mr Biden added that the monetary incentive may seem unfair to already vaccinated Americans, but "we all benefit if we can get more people vaccinated". States would use money from the $1.9tn American Rescue Plan legislation to fund the incentives.
Mr Biden said that the federal government will be "fully reimbursing" small or medium-sized businesses that provide workers paid time off to get vaccinated. While government workers who refuse to get vaccinated will not be fired, this move by the White House aims to set an example for other employers nationwide.
