President Joe Biden took aim on Sept. 9 at vaccine resistance in America, announcing policies requiring most federal employees to get Covid-19 vaccinations and pushing large employers to have their workers inoculated or tested weekly.
In a scene replayed across the United States, angry parents and activists streamed into a meeting of the Florida’s Lake County school board on Sept. 2 where it considered whether to mandate mask-wearing for students and staff due to Covid.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on Aug. 31 issued a mask mandate for all K-12 school and child care facilities to protect against the spread of Covid-19, three weeks after the Democrat said he would leave the decision to individual districts.
Illinois will require all eligible students and school employees to be vaccinated and re-instituted an indoor mask mandate under an order announced by Governor J.B. Pritzker on Aug. 26.
Florida’s largest school district on Aug. 18 imposed a mask mandate in defiance of the state’s governor, another chapter in the coronavirus political battle in the southern United States where new infections are highest.
The United States reported more than 1,000 Covid-19 deaths on Aug. 17 – equating to around 42 fatalities an hour – according to a Reuters tally, as the Delta variant continues to ravage parts of the country with low vaccination rates.
Fans attending baseball, football and outdoor music events in Los Angeles County will be required to wear a mask starting on Aug. 20 regardless of their vaccination status, according to an order on Aug. 17 from the health department.
The cities of San Francisco and New Orleans on Aug. 12 ordered patrons to show proof of Covid-19 vaccinations to enter restaurants, gyms and other venues, joining New York in a severe step designed to contain the fast-spreading Delta variant.
California on Aug. 11 became the first U.S. state to require that its teachers and other school staff be vaccinated or regularly tested for Covid-19, a move Governor Gavin Newsom called “a responsible step” to ensure the safety of children.
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. said on Aug. 4 the drugstore chain had administered more than 29 million Covid-19 vaccines at its stores so far, led by a surge in parts of the United States that had lagged in vaccinations.
