Threats
Today's D Brief: Vax to be required for feds; Cybersecurity push; Jan. 6 ‘terrorism’; China, Taliban talk; And a bit more.
By Ben Watson, Jennifer Hlad and Bradley Peniston
July 28, 2021
The D Brief
COVID vaccinations are about to be required for U.S. federal workers, though that does not include the military, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday. (For some perspective, there are 2.2 million civilians in the federal government, including at least 759,000 civilians working for the Defense Department—a total that does not include contractors.)
Non-military feds who decline vaccination won’t be fired, but they should expect “a number of restrictions on them as a way to encourage them to receive one of the vaccines that have received emergency-use authorization,” according to the Washington Post. Those restrictions include regular virus testing, according to CNN.
Why? Because of the fast spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, which has led to a new wave of infections and deaths as the virus mutates.
Also new: Vaccinated Americans living in hot zones are gonna want to put their masks on indoors again, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday. The New York Times reports the House of Representatives is already moving back to an indoor mask mandate.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/07/the-d-brief-july-28-2021/184110/
