Biden to mandate vaccine for all members of military
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Monday said he would make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for U.S. service members effective mid-September.
“I strongly encourage all DoD military and civilian personnel—as well as contractor personnel—to get vaccinated now and for military service members to not wait for the mandate,” Mr. Austin wrote in a letter to the U.S. military.
President Biden expressed his “strong support” for the move, and said he and Mr. Austin “share an unshakable commitment to making sure our troops have every tool they need to do their jobs as safely as possible.”
The Covid-19 vaccine hasn’t been granted full approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but has been offered to Americans under an emergency authorization. That provisional status has hindered Mr. Austin’s ability to make it mandatory for U.S. troops.
In the letter, Mr. Austin said he would seek a waiver from Mr. Biden from the requirement a vaccine have full FDA approval before it can be mandated, or would make the vaccine mandatory immediately upon full FDA licensure, whichever comes first.
Vaccine mandates are a banal part of military service, and the next person to come up for a good reason why a particularly safe vaccine for a particularly dangerous virus should be excluded will never exist.
To unite our themes today, good to see one of our most gifted writers and musicians is doing the reverse Clapton not only artistically but in defense of the health and safety of his fans:
We’re now requiring proof of vaccination or a current negative test to attend all our shows, indoors or out. If the venue won’t allow that, we won’t play. https://t.co/KSYmsT5qAl— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) August 9, 2021
Vaccine requirements, which allow the responsible to attend public events with relative security and peace of mind, are a substantial net increase in human freedom. The DeSantis policy actively forbidding businesses and venues from even voluntarily protecting their customers and forcing the the vaccinated to be held hostage to the irresponsible is a substantial diminution of human freedom. Ten years down the road you’ll find you’re left behind.
…excellent:
Gov. Jay Inslee expected to announce COVID-19 vaccine mandate for Washington state employees. #BestGovernor https://t.co/2LatZlyCIn— K. C. Boyd (@KCBoyd3) August 9, 2021