The Biden administration will demand that companies force their employees to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or submit to weekly testing as part of a new plan that will also result in government workers being fired if they refuse to take the jab.
The US president announced the new measures on Thursday evening as part of a wider effort to boost flagging vaccination rates and curb the rapid spread of the Delta variant.
“What makes [the current surge in cases] incredibly more frustrating is we have the tools to combat Covid-19,” Biden said in a speech on Thursday. “But a distinct minority of Americans, supported by a distinct minority of elected officials, are keeping us from turning the corner.