Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe quickly urged all employers in the state to mandate vaccines following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Monday morning.
McAuliffe stated:
Today, I am calling on every Virginia employer to require all eligible employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. 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. Today’s announcement puts us one important step closer to reaching that goal.
McAuliffe’s statement comes after McAuliffe held a fundraiser in Martha’s Vineyard — just one week following the Democrat stronghold reported a surge in coronavirus cases, as Breitbart News reported. The spike came after former President Barack Obama’s massive birthday party was hosted there.
In this Aug. 6, 2013, file photo. President Barack Obama laughs as the crowd sings him “Happy Birthday” at the start of his speech about housing at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix. The man who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is more than just another famous face, or the face behind the government’s troubled health care website. Five new things about the president include, singing in the bathroom, cooking, a broken nose, a world traveler and a daughter with a peanut allergy. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Earlier in August, McAuliffe’s gubernatorial campaign notified staffers they would be required to receive a vaccine in order to remain in their roles.
“In the interest of public health and the safety and wellbeing of our team, Terry for Virginia has made the decision to require full vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment with the campaign,” the McAuliffe campaign said in an August 9th statement.
Conversely, Glenn Youngkin, McAuliffe’s Republican opponent, has not asked staffers to receive the vaccine. However, the GOP gubernatorial has urged Virginia residents to receive it.
“Data show the COVID vaccine saves lives. That’s why I chose to get the vaccine,” Youngkin said in recent days. “Virginians have the right to decide for themselves, but if you are in a high-risk category, I especially encourage you to get vaccinated.”
