Biden to require all federal workers to be vaccinated for coronavirus

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden is slated to require all federal workers and contractors to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and remove previously established testing and masking requirements for the unvaccinated.

Biden previously allowed for rigorous testing for people who did not want to be vaccinated and required them to be masked at all times when around others. But those exceptions are to be nixed in favor of the universal mandate, according to multiple reports that cited anonymous officials.

It is unclear if there will be medical or religious exemptions in Biden's executive orders.

The president is expected to make the formal announcement during a Thursday evening speech in which he will lay out a six-point plan to stop the spread of the delta variant in the US, and increase vaccine uptake.

The delta variant has led to a surge in coronavirus cases, particularly in hard-hit communities with under-vaccinated populations. Daily cases and deaths have been skyrocketing since July with more than 261,000 infections recorded Sept. 7 and over 3,800 deaths on Sept. 3.