McAuliffe calls on businesses and colleges to require vaccine
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After receiving full FDA approval, McAuliffe calls on businesses to require COVID-19 vaccine
After the FDA announced their full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Monday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe called on all Virginia employers to require the vaccine for their employees.
“I am calling on every Virginia employer to require all eligible employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19,” McAuliffe said in an announcement Monday. “I have long said that the best way to defeat this deadly virus, keep our students in school and keep Virginia’s economy strong is by getting every eligible Virginian vaccinated as quickly as possible.”
The full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine applies to any person 16 years and older. “As the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D.
McAuliffe’s opponent Glenn Youngkin says he believes the vaccine should remain a personal decision. “I have made the choice to get vaccinated and encourage everyone to join me in doing that, but ultimately it is a personal decision to do so,” he said in a statement.
Youngkin has been encouraging his supporters to receive the vaccine if they want to, but he has opposed any type of vaccine mandate.
In a statement Monday, Youngkin said McAuliffe’s vaccine policies would lead to Virginia businesses shutting down. “Virginia is already struggling to recover from the pandemic due to failed Democratic leadership,” Youngkin continued. “And now Terry McAuliffe wants to ‘make life difficult’ for Virginians and businesses by issuing a government mandate that attempts to bully them into complying with what McAuliffe and the government thinks is best, and that will clearly evolve into closing down businesses and locking down Virginia again.”
McAuliffe has already called on all Virginia public schools to require vaccines for school staff and he recently issued a statement saying that he will be requiring his campaign staff to be vaccinated.
“Today’s announcement puts us one important step closer to reaching that goal,” McAuliffe said Monday about the FDA approval. “Together, we can beat this virus once and for all, keep our fellow Virginians safe, and keep our Commonwealth’s economy running strong.”
The Youngkin campaign also shared this video of McAuliffe speaking at an event earlier this month in Las Vegas.
McAuliffe calls on colleges and universities to require COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff
"As a new school year begins for colleges and universities across our Commonwealth, we have a safe and effective tool to defend ourselves against this virus. We need to do everything we can to get this pandemic under control, and the best way to do that is to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Terry McAuliffe. “That is why today I am calling on every college and university across Virginia to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for its students, faculty, and staff. Fully vaccinated communities across Virginia will be at the forefront of keeping our economy strong, our schools open, and our people healthy."
Virginia Professional Fire Fighters Endorse Terry McAuliffe
The Virginia Professional Fire Fighters (VPFF) announced Monday morning that they are endorsing Terry McAuliffe for governor.
“Terry McAuliffe was a friend to public safety and organized labor during his first administration as Governor of the Commonwealth,” stated Robert Bragg, President of the VPFF. “We know Terry McAuliffe will continue working hard to protect and enhance the safety, benefits and working conditions of our firefighters. We look forward to working with him as he becomes the 74th Governor of Virginia.”
McAuliffe is competing with Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin and Independent candidate Princess Blanding.
“Virginia’s firefighters are vital first responders working to keep us all safe, and I’m so thankful for all the work that they do. Every single day, our firefighters put themselves at risk on the front lines to help us out in times of crisis, and I will fight every day to do the same for them. We need to make sure that our firefighters have safe working conditions, good pay and the benefits they deserve,” said Terry McAuliffe. “I am so proud to have the endorsement of the VPFF and I look forward to fighting every day for these Virginians as governor.”
ICYMI: Fairfax County’s Commonwealth Attorney discusses the recall movement against him by Republicans
After being elected Commonwealth Attorney of Virginia’s largest locality, Steve Descano is facing a potential recall movement from Republicans who don’t agree with the policies that he implemented after taking office in January of last year.
Descano won in 2019 with 61% of the vote.
Judge to decide immunity for US Park Police officers in Bijan Ghaisar killing
by Megan Cloherty
A federal judge will decide whether two U.S. Park Police officers deserve immunity and a dismissal of state charges in the 2017 killing of unarmed Virginia driver Bijan Ghaisar.
Officer Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vinyard’s attorneys argued in U.S. District Court in Alexandria that the federal officers qualify for immunity from the state charges and asked the judge to dismiss a Fairfax County jury’s manslaughter indictment against both officers.
Following Monday’s hearing in the case against the officers who shot and killed Ghaisar, Fairfax County’s Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring released the following statement:
“Following today’s hearing, we remain confident in the merits of the Commonwealth’s case against the U.S. Park Police officers who took Bijan Ghaisar’s life. We will continue to do everything in our power to hold them accountable and pursue justice on behalf of the community and the Ghaisar Family.”
Virginians don’t have to show ID to vote anymore. Data shows almost everyone still does. - Virginia Mercury
by Graham Moomaw
Virginia’s laws have changed in many ways to make voting easier, but all voters are still asked to verify who they are when they go to the polls.
For most people, that means pulling out a driver’s license just like they did before the state changed last year to no longer require photo IDs. For others, it could be a utility bill, paystub or bank statement.
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This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider supporting non-partisan, independent news by becoming a paid subscriber today.