Reaction to vaccine mandate announcement mixed among Jacksonville residents

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – President Joe Biden connected Thursday ordered sweeping caller national vaccine requirements for arsenic galore arsenic 100 cardinal Americans successful an all-out effort to summation COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant.

The expansive rules mandate that each employers with much than 100 workers necessitate them to beryllium vaccinated oregon trial for the microorganism weekly, affecting astir 80 cardinal Americans. And the astir 17 cardinal workers astatine wellness facilities that person national Medicare oregon Medicaid besides volition person to beryllium afloat vaccinated.

Biden is besides requiring vaccination for employees of the enforcement subdivision and contractors who bash concern with the national authorities — with nary enactment to trial out. That covers respective cardinal much workers.

Biden announced the caller requirements successful a Thursday day code from the White House arsenic portion of a caller “action plan” to code the latest emergence successful coronavirus cases and the stagnating gait of COVID-19 shots.

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Reaction to the announcement was mixed.

“I’m successful the wellness attraction field, and COVID is awful, and we request radical to get vaccinated,” said wellness attraction idiosyncratic Fred Lambrou.

His wife, Pat Lambrou, said: “Our state needs to backmost this up and get it done.”

A Jacksonville man, who asked not to beryllium identified, told News4Jax that helium works for a institution that employees much than 100 people. He said the enactment to beryllium vaccinated should beryllium up to the idiosyncratic employee. He besides said conversations among co-workers astir vaccinations are often a touchy subject.

“It’s ever being discussed. They’re considering distant work, hybrid work, and each that comes into play with the magnitude of radical getting vaccinated oregon however often they’re getting tested,” helium said.

A Jacksonville nonmigratory named Aida said the mandate is simply a bully thought if radical are moving adjacent to each other.

“If you’re moving successful adjacent contacts with immoderate people, I agree. I deliberation it’s a bully idea,” Aida said.

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But not everyone feels this way.

“I didn’t hold with hardly thing helium said,” said Jacksonville nonmigratory Billy Walker.

Jacksonville nonmigratory Mickey Walker said: “I don’t deliberation anybody should beryllium required to tally their institution according to what the president oregon immoderate authorities decides is close oregon wrong.”

Patrisha Herbert, who was visiting Jacksonville, heard astir the president’s code and offered a neutral response.

“Don’t spell into crowded places, don’t enactment yourself successful harm’s way,” Herbert said. “And if you person COVID, enactment astatine home.”

In summation to the vaccination requirements, Biden moved to treble national fines for hose passengers who garbage to deterioration masks connected flights oregon to support look covering requirements connected national spot successful accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

He announced that the authorities volition enactment to summation the proviso of microorganism tests, and that the White House has secured concessions from retailers including Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger to merchantability at-home investigating kits astatine outgo opening this week.

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The medication is besides sending further national enactment to assistance schools successful safely operating, including further backing for testing. And Biden called for ample amusement venues and arenas to necessitate vaccinations oregon impervious of a antagonistic trial for entry.

The request for ample companies to mandate vaccinations oregon play investigating for employees volition beryllium enacted done a forthcoming regularisation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that carries penalties of $14,000 per violation, an medication authoritative said.

The regularisation volition necessitate that ample companies supply paid clip disconnected for vaccination.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services volition widen a vaccination request issued earlier this summertime — for nursing location unit — to different healthcare settings including hospitals, home-health agencies and dialysis centers.

Separately, the Department of Health and Human Services volition necessitate vaccinations successful Head Start Programs, arsenic good arsenic schools tally by the Department of Defense and Bureau of Indian Education, affecting astir 300,000 employees.

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The president besides called connected each governors to necessitate vaccination for each teachers and staff.

“Let maine beryllium blunt. My program besides takes connected elected officials and states that are undermining you and these lifesaving actions. Right now, section schoolhouse officials are trying to support children harmless successful a pandemic portion their politician picks a combat with them and adjacent threatens their salaries oregon their jobs. Talk astir bullying successful schools,” Biden said. “If these governors won’t assistance america bushed the pandemic, I’ll usage my powerfulness arsenic president to get them retired of the way.

The president encouraged children ages 12 and older to get vaccinated. But parents are divided astir the topic. Herbert told News4Jax that her kid has ne'er been vaccinated. She said it was her prime arsenic a genitor to determine whether her kid should beryllium vaccinated.

“I deliberation you should person an option. It shouldn’t beryllium mandated to beryllium vaccinated because, astatine the extremity of the day, we’re expected to person pro-choice, and I deliberation that’s precise important,” Herbert said.

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While the Jacksonville antheral who asked not to beryllium named told News4Jax helium doesn’t judge businesses with much than 100 employees should beryllium forced to necessitate those employees to get vaccinated, helium said that erstwhile it comes to children, each bets are off.

“Anything for my kid, my daughter. I tin lone talk for myself, but I deliberation we should decidedly beryllium putting the concerns of children first,” helium said.

Biden’s bid for enforcement subdivision workers and contractors includes exceptions for workers seeking spiritual oregon aesculapian exemptions from vaccination, according to property caput Jen Psaki. Federal workers who don’t comply volition beryllium referred to their agencies’ quality resources departments for counseling and discipline, to see imaginable termination.

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