Month: July 2021

Effective today, all guests two years and older at Disney theme parks in the U.S. will once again be required to wear face masks while indoors, a precaution against the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. In an announcement on Disney’s website, the new policy begins Friday, July 30th at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.  It includes a requirement for masks “in Disney buses, monorail and Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status. This includes upon entering and throughout all attractions,” the company says.  Face coverings in outdoor common areas remain optional.

The announcement comes shortly after a change in guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week.  The CDC called on even fully vaccinated people to wear masks indoors if they live in places with “substantial” or “high” coronavirus transmission.  Since about the start of the month, both Florida and California have seen increases in coronavirus infections

After Disney theme parks closed in March 2020, Disney World finally reopened last July with social distancing and mask requirements.  California’s Disneyland reopened on April 30 this year.

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President Biden announced that every federal government employee and onsite contractor will be asked to “attest to their vaccination status,” and will require anyone not fully vaccinated to wear a mask at work regardless of where they live, social distance and get tested once or twice a week. Employees can also face restrictions on official travel. According to a fact sheet that was released to reporters, Biden is directing the Department of Defense to look into how and when they will add COVID-19 vaccination to the list of required vaccinations for members of the military. Pfizer, Moderna and the Johnson and Johnson vaccines were granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), but the FDA is facing pressure to issue full authorization of the vaccines, which could open the door to mandates in schools, and the military.

The White House is also ramping up efforts to get more Americans vaccinated, including calling on states, territories and local governments to do more to incentivize vaccination by offering $100 to those who get vaccinated and reimbursing small- and medium-sized businesses for offering their employees paid leave to get their family members vaccinated.

However groups representing large numbers of federal workers — including law enforcement and postal workers — raised some early objections to the president’s announcement. Larry Cosme, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, said in a statement: “As an association representing those men and women charged with protecting the Constitutional rights of all Americans, including the right to privacy and choice, we are concerned by any move that would mandate the COVID-19 vaccine among federal employees.”

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Google is postponing a return to the office for most workers until mid-October, instead of its previous target date of Sept. 1.  The company plans to mandate a policy that will require employees to be vaccinated in an attempt to fight the spread of the COVID-19 delta variant. Facebook also announced a vaccine mandate for U.S. employees on Wednesday.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email:  “This extension will allow us time to ramp back into work while providing flexibility for those who need it.” The requirement will be first imposed at Google’s Mountain View, Calif. headquarters and other U.S. offices before being extended to the more than 40 other countries where the Google operates. The vaccine mandate will be adjusted to adhere to the laws and regulators of each location, Pichai wrote, and exceptions will be made for medical and other “protected” reasons, explaining “getting vaccinated is one of the most important ways to keep ourselves and our communities healthy in the months ahead.”

Facebook President of People Lori Goler said in a statement: “As our offices reopen, we will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of our U.S. campuses to be vaccinated. How we implement this policy will depend on local conditions and regulations.”  Goler added that the company will have “a process for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons and will be evaluating our approach in other regions as the situation evolves.” 

The decision to require vaccines comes on the heels of similar moves affecting hundreds of thousands government workers in California and New York as part of stepped-up measures to fight the delta variant.

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Hours after bipartisan Senate negotiators reached a deal on an infrastructure package on Wednesday, the chamber voted to advance it, with a final vote on the bill expected shortly. The procedural motion was approved 67-32, with 17 Republicans joining all Democrats to begin legislative action. Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, was among those voting to move ahead with the proposal.

The forward movement on the bill comes a week after a failed test vote on the deal. The bill is expected to be around $1.2 trillion over eight years with roughly $550 billion in new spending, but details on key components were still being worked out. Some procedural steps still lie ahead before the final passage.

A White House fact sheet on the deal outlines:

• $110 billion for roads, bridges and other major projects;
• $11 billion in transportation safety programs;
• $39 billion in transit modernization and improved accessibility;
• $66 billion in rail;
• $7.5 billion to build a national network of electric vehicle chargers;
• $73 billion in power infrastructure and clean energy transmission.