President Joe Biden is calling on states to use some of their federal COVID relief dollars and offer a $100 vaccine incentive to those newly vaccinated.
“If incentives help us beat this virus then I believe we should use them,” Biden said.
In addition, Biden has rolled out new vaccine rules for federal workers. They must show proof of vaccination status, and if not vaccinated, must mask up, socially distance and be tested up to twice a week for COVID.
Read: Beaumont Health to mandate COVID vaccines for staff, providers
“Every day, more businesses are implementing their own vaccine mandates and the Justice Department has made it clear it is legal to require COVID-19 vaccines,” Biden said.
Major corporations across the country, such as Google and Facebook, announced they are requiring vaccines for a return to the office.
The vaccination rate across the United States is 53% of the population with at least one dose.
The more contagious delta variant is on the move in the country and increasing in states like Alabama where the rate is at the lowest in the country at 34%.
Michigan is sitting at 48.7% of fully vaccinated and already has a sweepstakes to incentivize people to get the shot,
There is no official word from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office on whether Michigan will participate in the incentive, which would likely require legislative approval.
Whitmer said a vaccine mandate for state workers is not something she’s currently considering.
Biden orders tough new vaccination rules for federal workers
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new pandemic requirements aimed at boosting vaccination rates for millions of federal workers and contractors as he lamented the “American tragedy” of rising-yet-preventable deaths among the unvaccinated.
Federal workers will be required to sign forms attesting they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else comply with new rules on mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and more. The strict new guidelines are aimed at increasing sluggish vaccination rates among the huge number of Americans who draw federal paychecks — and to set an example for private employers around the country.
“Right now, too many people are dying or watching someone they love die and say, ‘If I’d just got the vaccine,’” Biden said in a somber address from the East Room of the White House. “This is an American tragedy. People are dying who don’t have to die.”