The US government is considering introducing compulsory corona vaccination for its more than two million employees. “This is currently being investigated,” said US President Joe Biden when a journalist asked about mandatory vaccination for federal employees. “But if you haven’t been vaccinated, you’re not nearly as intelligent as I thought,” Biden said.
The step would be a certain U-turn: Because the Democrat Biden has spoken out against a general vaccination requirement. The vaccination campaign in the US is now on the spot – despite an abundance of doses and many vaccination incentives. Politically, however, even a vaccination requirement that is limited to government employees could become a sensitive issue: Many Republicans are likely to reject this as an encroachment on individual freedom. If this turns vaccinations into a political bone of contention, it will be even more difficult to convince critical or reluctant Republican supporters to get vaccinated.
The Ministry of Veterans only announced on Monday that the medical staff at the hospitals for the former members of the military now have to be vaccinated against the corona virus. You have eight weeks to do this. The order was the first mandatory vaccination of a major federal authority. According to the scientific service of the congress, the federal ministries and authorities employed almost 2.2 million civilians in 2020. In the metropolis of New York and the most populous US state of California, city and state employees will have to be vaccinated against corona in the future. If you don’t do this, you have to be tested regularly for a corona infection.
Another U-turn is the CDC’s new recommendation to wear masks. In some parts of the country, where the highly contagious delta variant of the corona virus is spreading particularly strongly, people who have been completely vaccinated should also cover their mouths and noses in public spaces, the CDC said. This also applies to schools. US President Biden said: More vaccinations and the wearing of masks “will enable us to avoid the kind of lockdowns, closings, school closings and disruptions we faced in 2020.” The US would not return to these measures.
In May, the CDC no longer considered wearing a mask indoors for fully vaccinated people to be necessary for the vast majority of situations. The CDC only makes recommendations. Ultimately, the US states make their own decisions. (07/28/2021)
Johnson wants vaccinated EU and US citizens to re-enter
According to a newspaper, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to allow fully vaccinated travelers from the EU and the US back into the country. The rule, which would affect millions of people who have family members in the UK, could apply from next week, reports the Financial Times citing insiders. Ministers had urged Johnson to take the step. (07/27/2021)
Bhutan vaccinates 90 percent of adults within a week
The small kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayas had around 90 percent of adults vaccinated against corona for the second time within a week. That corresponds to 62 percent of the approximately 770,000 inhabitants, said a spokeswoman for the UN children’s aid organization Unicef.
Bhutan was able to vaccinate its people so quickly after receiving hundreds of thousands of doses this month – including 500,000 doses of Moderna vaccine from the US and 250,000 doses of Astra Zeneca vaccine from Denmark, data from Unicef shows. “This is not only an important milestone for Bhutan or South Asia, but for developing countries in general,” said the Unicef spokeswoman. Many poorer countries have trouble getting vaccine doses.
The country received the first corona vaccine as a gift from India. From the end of March to the beginning of April, more than 85 percent of adults were vaccinated, as the Bhutanese Ministry of Health announced at the time. Vaccination is a challenge in the kingdom. Healthcare workers sometimes have to climb high mountains to reach people living as nomads. Bhutan was largely spared the corona pandemic. Only about 2500 infections and two deaths have been recorded since the pandemic began. (07/27/2021)
70 percent of adults in the EU vaccinated at least once
According to official information, 70 percent of adults in the EU are now vaccinated against Corona at least once. 57 percent were double vaccinated and thus fully protected, said EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday. At the same time, in view of the spreading delta variant, she appealed to everyone who has not yet been immunized but who have the opportunity to get vaccinated. The EU is confident that it will also achieve its goal of having 70 percent of the adult population fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by the end of summer. (07/27/2021)
USA extend entry bans
The USA does not want to lift the entry restrictions imposed on travelers from Europe and other countries due to the corona pandemic for the time being. “Because of the Delta variant, we will keep the existing travel restrictions at this point,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. Because of the delta variant, the number of corona cases would increase – especially among the unvaccinated. “And it seems likely that this will continue in the coming weeks,” said Psaki.
The EU had already urged member states last month to gradually lift restrictions on travelers from the US and several other countries. Germany then allowed entries from the USA, among others, “for all permissible purposes of residence, including tourism”.
The fact that the USA did not loosen its restrictions on travelers from Europe in return caused criticism from, among others, the German economy. Entry from the Schengen area to the USA is usually only possible for foreigners with a special permit. The Biden government has always insisted that it will be guided by scientific evidence in its decisions in the pandemic.
When Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Washington in mid-July, many had hoped for movement on the subject. US President Joe Biden had announced in a joint press conference with Merkel that he would like to comment on the subject in the coming days. Merkel had stated that she had raised the subject at the meeting with Biden. The Chancellor emphasized that a sustainable decision must now be made that will not be withdrawn after a short time.
The federal government’s coordinator for transatlantic relations, Peter Beyer (CDU), regrets the decision of the US government to continue to refuse Europeans entry into the United States. “It is a bit disappointing that the US will not relax its entry restrictions for the Schengen area,” Beyer said Süddeutsche Zeitung. Beyer called more mutual accommodation “desirable” after the European Union had recently relaxed entry rules for US citizens. Above all, Beyer sees problematic consequences for the economy on both sides: “Especially German companies with branches in the USA need their engineers and mechanics on site for urgently needed maintenance and repair work,” he said. Many jobs in the USA also depended on it.