Biden urges U.S. businesses to implement vaccine requirements amid pushback
October 7, 2021, 11:53 pm

Biden urges U.S. businesses to implement vaccine requirements amid pushback

Joe Biden-US president-Shutterstock

The Xinhua reported, U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday urged large companies and other organizations to implement his government's new COVID-19 vaccination mandates which have sparked concern and pushback.

Biden said in suburban Chicago at an event promoting the requirements: "These requirements work ... More people are getting vaccinated. More lives are being saved."

Biden was in Elk Grove Village where he toured a construction site being run by Clayco. The company announced Thursday it would be implementing a vaccination or testing requirement for its employees moving forward.

"We have to beat this thing," Biden said. "So while I didn't race to do it right away, that's why I had to move toward requirements that everyone get vaccinated where I had the authority to do that."

Biden, who prioritized handling the pandemic after assuming office, announced in September sweeping new federal vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million Americans, including private-sector employees as well as health care workers and federal contractors.

The vaccine mandates, however, faced pushback from Republicans and other critics, who argue it smacks of government overreach and takes away people's rights to make their own medical decisions.

Recent weeks also saw the Consumer Brands Association, which represents 1,700 U.S. brands, urge the Biden administration to accelerate federal guidelines and clarify how businesses are expected to implement the new vaccine orders.

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The business groups were also concerned about how vaccination status should be verified, how to deal with religious exemptions, whether those working at home will need to be vaccinated, and who will pay for testing.

As of Thursday, the COVID-19 fatalities in the United States topped 709,000 with over 44 million infections, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University.

About 56.2 percent of the U.S. population have been fully vaccinated as of Thursday, showed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.

Source: xinhua

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”