China's Movement Restrictions on Unvaccinated Individuals... US Faces Controversy Over Mandatory Vaccination (Comprehensive)

Wage Payments Suspended in Some Areas of China... Vaccination Mandates
Concerns Over Rising Child Infections Ahead of US School Openings in September

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Correspondents Cho Young-shin and Lee Hyun-woo] Chinese authorities have effectively enforced mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations by imposing movement restrictions on unvaccinated individuals. Earlier, in the United States, voices calling for mandatory vaccination ahead of the full reopening of schools in September have been growing, raising expectations that the global debate over vaccine mandates will intensify.

According to Chinese media outlet Pengpai on the 15th, provincial governments in Jiangxi, Anhui, Fujian, Shanxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang have issued notices restricting unvaccinated individuals from entering public facilities. The areas where these notices were sent are mainly at the county level, with some cities included.

Pengpai reported that unvaccinated individuals are prohibited from entering public places and face restrictions on using public transportation such as taxis. When entering public places, individuals must present the Jiankangbao (Health Code mini-program) and proof of vaccination.

Some counties in Anhui Province have notified that all adults aged 18 and over must be vaccinated without exception. Additionally, those aged 15 to 17 must be vaccinated by the end of July, and those aged 12 to 14 by the end of August. In some counties of Henan Province, public officials and employees of public institutions who are not vaccinated are prohibited from going to work, and unvaccinated individuals will not receive wages. In Jiangxi Province, starting from the 26th, unvaccinated individuals aged 18 and over will be banned from entering public places such as hotels, train stations, and bus terminals.

Pengpai explained that these vaccination policies in some provinces are based on Article 53, Paragraph 6 of the "People's Republic of China Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases," which allows provincial governments to restrict access to public places for disease prevention and control. However, exceptions are made for individuals who hold vaccination exemption certificates issued by level 2 or higher public medical institutions due to health reasons.

In the United States, where full school reopening is scheduled for the fall semester in September, calls are growing for mandatory vaccination of adults to protect students from COVID-19. Peter Hotez, director of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN, "As the spread of the Delta variant intensifies and adult vaccination slows, concerns about infections among children after school reopening are increasing," emphasizing the need for mandatory vaccination.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of this day, 184.83 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of the vaccine, accounting for 55.7% of the total population, and 48.2% have completed the two-dose regimen. However, due to increasing vaccine hesitancy especially among younger people, the minimum herd immunity target of 75% has not yet been reached.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.