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Companies Are Adopting COVID Vaccine Mandates for Employees. So Why Aren’t All Vaccine Makers?

USA TODAY via Yahoo!News reported:

Only two of the three makers of COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the U.S. require their own employees to get the shot or be tested weekly.

Moderna is the outlier. The Cambridge, Massachusetts, company, which supplies 41% of the nation’s vaccine, has no vaccination mandate.

“We have safety and testing protocols in place, but no such requirement at this time,” Moderna spokesperson Ray Jordan said in an email.

Fifth Consecutive Weekend of Protests in France Over COVID Pass

The Guardian reported:

Protesters took to the streets of France for the fifth consecutive Saturday to oppose the country’s pass sanitaire — health pass — now required for everyday activities.

More than 250,000 people were expected at about 200 demonstrations, an increase in the number that officials said had turned out last week. Protesters have accused the government of underestimating the numbers and playing down support.

The protesters are opposed to the government’s decision to make the pass sanitaire obligatory for restaurants, bars, cinemas, theatres and most public buildings apart from shops. They accuse the government of infringing their civil and personal liberties. A number are also opposed to the vaccination of children; France has been vaccinating the 12-17 age group since May.

New Zealand to Go Into National Lockdown Over One COVID Case

The Guardian reported:

New Zealand will go into a national lockdown on Tuesday night, after detecting one case of COVID-19.

The entire country will be at alert level 4 – the highest level of lockdown – for at least three days from midnight, and the regions of Auckland and Coromandel for four to seven days.

New Zealand has not had a level 4 lockdown in more than a year, and the case is believed to be the first Delta in-community transmission.

The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said: “Delta has been called a game changer, and it is. It means we need to again go hard and early to stop the spread. We have seen what can happen elsewhere if we fail to get on top of it. We only get one chance.”

NASA Requiring Workers to Get Vaccinated or Submit to COVID-19 Testing Protocols

ClickOrlando.com reported:

NASA is requiring workers to provide proof that they have received a COVID-19 vaccine or submit to the space agency’s testing policy.

NASA has distributed a certification of vaccination to its workers and contractors asking for a worker’s vaccination status.

“The purpose of this form is to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, to protect the health and safety of all federal employees, onsite contractors, visitors to federal buildings or federally controlled indoor workspaces, and other individuals interacting with the Federal workforce,” the form reads.

Workers Should Say No To at-Home Big Tech Surveillance

National Review reported:

More and more voices are decrying the increasing influence of tech companies in political discourse. Many on the left and the right have called for antitrust legislation to curtail the influence of these large conglomerates. However, the increase in teleworking may open up a new and even more dangerous avenue for Big Tech to exert influence, not over politics but over everyday life itself.

A recent report from NBC News found that Big Tech companies have installed cameras inside worker’s bedrooms to make sure they are working hard enough. The report specifically examines the practices of a Columbia-based call center that services companies such as Apple, Amazon, and Uber. The details of the arrangement are truly terrifying:

The contract allows monitoring by AI-powered cameras in workers’ homes, voice analytics and storage of data collected from the worker’s family members, including minors. … “The contract allows constant monitoring of what we are doing, but also our family,” said a Bogota-based worker on the Apple account who was not authorized to speak to the news media. “I think it’s really bad. We don’t work in an office. I work in my bedroom. I don’t want to have a camera in my bedroom.”

Raiders to Require Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination at 2021 Home Games

Sports Illustrated reported:

The Raiders announced Monday they will require all spectators to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination for home games at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The new policy will begin during Las Vegas’s first home game against the Ravens on Sept. 13. Raiders fans will not be required to wear a mask, creating the NFL’s first “vaccine/no mask policy” for home spectators, per the team.

“Health and safety has always been our number one priority,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a statement. “After consultation with Gov. Sisolak and other community leaders, this policy ensures that we will be able to operate at full capacity without masks for fully vaccinated fans.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas Refuses to Take Vaccine Unless It Becomes Mandatory on Tour

CNN reported:

World No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas said he would only get the COVID-19 vaccine if it became mandatory to compete in tennis.

While the men’s ATP Tour has publicly encouraged players to get vaccinated, the 23-year-old Greek is among those who still have reservations.

“No one has told me anything. No one has made it a mandatory thing to be vaccinated,” he told reporters, when asked if he would seek a vaccine while competing in the U.S.

“At some point I will have to, I’m pretty sure about it, but so far it hasn’t been mandatory to compete, so I haven’t done it, no,” added Tsitsipas, who received a first-round bye in the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.