As people object to the ever-increasing waves of strict COVID-19 mandates, Americans must understand that these regulations are more needed now than ever to ensure safety for everyone. 

President Biden on Sept. 10 issued and continues to push a new COVID-19 mandate, requiring federal employees, federal contractors and health-care workers at federally funded facilities to show proof of vaccination, without a testing option. Over 80 million U.S. workers, however, still have the choice between vaccination proof or weekly COVID-19 testing. 

I understand that people don’t like being told what to do, like when my mom tells me to clean my room and every nerve in my skeletal system tells me to do otherwise. But the pandemic and people’s health and livelihoods are far more consequential than a tidy bedroom. 

Political leaders advocating for vaccines have tried enticing the undecided through various monetary means, such as direct cash payments or lottery tickets. Yet, considering how easily accessible the vaccine is and that most people who wanted one already received one, there are no other alternatives to convincing people but stricter mandates. 

President Biden said “this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated” in a press release on Sept. 27, according to the “New York Times,”  feeling that tightening mandates is the only way out of the pandemic. 

Additionally, the “New York Times” reports, as of Sept. 29, the seven day average for COVID-19 infections was 112,798, with nearly 2,000 coronavirus deaths being reported every day. Even with the number of hospitalizations declining from the beginning of September, America is quickly approaching 700,000 total deaths due to COVID-19. 

Around this time last year, we all wondered when a vaccine would roll out and provide us with a way out of the pandemic. Now that several are at our disposal, we have no choice but to require them in all spaces. 

Some people who do not want to get the vaccine say they are only looking out for the health of their families, which is an admirable reason. However, the irony of evading such a medical breakthrough is the threat of hospitalization and death, not just for your immediate family, but for everyone around you. 

As much as I question the efficacy of forcing people to get the vaccine, the choice now is between the acceptance of the vaccine or job loss, and I don’t think the decision is very hard to make.