United States of America eSeries: Get the jab or get a new job

Get the jab or get a new job

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July 30, 2021

Stephen Collinson and Shelby Rose

Get the jab or get a new job

"You're fired."

More US companies could soon be using the catchphrase that made Donald Trump a TV star, as they initiate vaccinate-or-else policies for employees. The broadening mandates for Covid-19 inoculations come as the Delta variant has sent cases soaring across the United States, mostly because there are tens of millions of Americans who refuse to get free, safe and effective shots. Facebook and Google, Morgan Stanley, BlackRock and Saks Fifth Avenue are all blue-chip firms that are leading the charge. Netflix is requiring vaccines for actors and anyone who comes into contact with them at its studios.

Many companies are keen to get employees back into offices this fall, and are telling them that if they don't get the shot (with very few health and religious exceptions) they'll need to find work elsewhere. The corporate push comes as President Joe Biden — who is clearly losing patience with Americans who won't get vaccinated and are therefore prolonging the pandemic — announced that federal workers need vaccines or will have to undergo an onerous testing regime.

Given political sensitivities in a nation where personal freedom and suspicion of government are sacrosanct for many citizens, government vaccine mandates for everyone are unlikely. Heck, advice this week for Americans, even those who are vaccinated, to wear masks again caused a firestorm — and an opening for Republican up-and-comers like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to grandstand.

But big business could finally force millions of vaccine holdouts to change their minds. Get ready for a lot of anger and controversy — especially in Southern, conservative states where vaccine hesitancy is rife and far more people are getting sick and going to the hospital with Covid-19 than in liberal states.

But the die seems to be cast.

Starting next month, for instance, Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group -- which owns dozens of restaurants, cafes and bars -- said he will require all employees and customers to prove they've had the jab. "If you really want to go unvaccinated, you can dine somewhere else, and you can also go work somewhere else," Meyer told CNN on Thursday.

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A 12-year old Palestinian boy reportedly died after being shot by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

A German cycling coach was sent home from the Olympics over a racist remark.

And a judge in Barcelona ruled that Colombian pop star Shakira could stand trial for alleged tax evasion in Spain.

Meanwhile in America, 228 GOP lawmakers are calling on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The strongest earthquake in decades struck off the coast of Alaska.

And police are investigating the killing of a woman and her dog in Atlanta's Piedmont Park.

A 60-year-old French woman made off with $5.8 million in diamonds after swapping the stones for pebbles.

A Christmas warning in July

Here's the good news: The US economy is now bigger than it was before the pandemic. The bad news? The Delta variant may peg growth back later this year. New government figures show that the economy grew at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 6.5% in the second quarter. That's great for Americans trying to get back on their feet — but it also helps people abroad, given that the mighty US engine often helps to power growth elsewhere.

It's an impressive number. But it disappointed Wall Street, which had been banking on an 8.5% rate of growth over the same period. The new data shows that the recovery is being driven by the reopening of restaurants, bars, tourism and other sectors, plus a new round of government stimulus checks. But some big financial houses are downgrading their economic outlooks as the Delta variant spreads.

Another worry is inflation. Everything in the US — food, cars, gasoline — seems to cost more right now. The dwindling clout of the dollar in voters' pockets is a prime attack line Republicans are using against Biden. Still, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said rising inflation is more the product of post-pandemic supply chain shortages than anything intrinsically wrong with the economy and should ease in the months to come.

As an example, there's a currently a massive problem on the West Coast, where containers filled with US goods from Asia are clogging ports and rail yards. The problem is partly caused by post-pandemic staffing issues in the trucking and railroad industries. Many container ships have to anchor for days off the California coast, waiting for a time window to unload. All of this ripples down the supply chain and causes even more bottlenecks to global trade. Delays are so acute that it already looks like favorite toys could be in short supply at Christmas.

Even Santa can't dodge the pandemic.

Thanks for staying with us through the week.

On Friday, the Smithsonian and Walt Disney World will start requiring all visitors, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks. A nonprofit will host a rave outside the Ukrainian President's office to draw attention to LGBTQ+ rights.

On Saturday, 5.7 million US-donated Pfizer Covid vaccine doses start to arrive in Johannesburg. Rafael Nadal is the big draw as the Citi Open tennis tournament kicks off in Washington, DC.

On Sunday, Poland marks the 77th anniversary of its wartime Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi occupation. It's the 94th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army of China. Italy bans large ships from Venice's canals.