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“It’s a really useful way to ensure a safe workplace for employees,” Jean-Pierre said at the daily press conference.
She even pointed her comments directly at Fox News’ Peter Doocy uninvited, a departure from the Biden administration’s cautious approach to responding to the conservative media giant’s messages about Covid-19 vaccinations.
“It’s also no different from some of the protocols you’ve all put in place in some of the newsrooms you work in – including Fox, Peter – which to my knowledge requires self-attestation to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. , “she said.” So, this is not an unusual case. “
Several outlets have reported that Fox Corporation has implemented a policy called “Fox Clear Pass” allowing employees to voluntarily declare their vaccination status. Those who had been vaccinated would be allowed to ignore the company’s testing protocols.
At the same time, the Biden administration has tried to avoid the word warrant when referring to the approach to getting vaccinated or getting tested. The growing momentum within the federal government and elsewhere for such demands has pissed off some of the President’s key union allies, who believe that such issues should not be implemented without the advice of their constituents and risk ending up. alienate some union members.
Jean-Pierre, who said she did not want to go into detail before Biden’s speech, has repeatedly emphasized that attestation policies always give workers the power to make a decision for themselves.
“What I presented as a strong consideration is a choice,” she said. “It’s a choice that employees will be able to make.”
Shortly before stepping onto the podium, Biden asked about 2 million federal employees to certify their immunization status or undergo regular testing. The directive covers both federal workers and contractors on site, and those who do not claim to have been vaccinated will be required to wear masks while on the job and be tested once or twice a week for Covid-19.
Biden also calls on the Pentagon to plan to add the coronavirus to the list of vaccinations required to serve in the military, and urges governments across the country to tap into coronavirus relief aid to offer $ 100 in rewards. people who are new to getting vaccinated.
Earlier this week, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it would require Covid vaccines for frontline healthcare workers, such as doctors, nurses and medical assistants. And leaders elected in places like California and New York have also announced that they are adopting similar plans for public sector workers and some private sector healthcare workers.
Jean-Pierre said the Biden administration sees the federal government as a “model for other businesses and other organizations” to chart a safe return to office life that has been disrupted by the pandemic.
“One of our main goals is to make sure we have a sustainable model for keeping employers across the country,” she said.
The Justice Department also recently issued a notice stating that its legal counsel’s office does not believe federal law prohibits businesses or public bodies from requiring coronavirus vaccination, reassuring executives that such measures would be based on a defensible legal basis.
However, the political debate around vaccinations has only intensified as employers draw distinctions between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, and local governments in Washington, DC and elsewhere reimpose mask-wearing orders – regardless. or vaccination status – at the request of the CDC and public health officials.
The return of mask rules to Capitol Hill set Republicans on fire this week, and fury only escalated Thursday following a Capitol Police bulletin that raised the possibility of an arrest for them. members of Congress and visitors who violate the House Mask Edict.
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