Biden Announces Sweeping New Vaccine Mandate, Doubles Fine for Not Donning a Mask in Flight

President Joseph Biden announced sweeping new vaccine mandates Thursday that could impact as many as 100 million Americans.

The action is directed at the millions of non-vaccinated people in the United States who, under the new rules, will be required to get inoculated against the coronavirus.

The president issued two executive orders, one mandating vaccinations for all federal workers and contractors with no option to opt out, and the other requiring vaccinations or weekly testing for non-vaccinated workers at companies with 100 employees or more.  The only exception is for workers at the United States Postal Service, which is an independent agency in the executive branch and which will be subject to the new rules governing private sector companies.

Workers at health care facilities such as hospitals or nursing homes that receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursements will also be required to be vaccinated, the president said, a move that will affect seven million health-care workers at some 50,000 providers.

Speaking at the White House Thursday afternoon,  the president criticized the non-vaccinated.

“We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin,” Biden said. “Your refusal [to get vaccinated] has cost all of us.”

In addition to the new vaccination mandates, the president also moved to double federal fines for airline passengers who refuse to don masks on flights.

As of mid-August, the total amount of fines levied by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for failing to wear a mask on a flight had exceeded $1 million although, as civil penalties, few of these fines have been paid.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)