BREAKING NEWS: Biden is considering a vaccine mandate for ALL federal employees because of the surging Delta variant and says new CDC mask guidance is 'another step in beating the virus' President Biden on Tuesday said he was considering mandatory vaccinations for all federal employees It comes as the CDC offered new guidance urging even vaccinated Americans to wear masks indoors The moves come as infection rates surge, propelled by the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID 19 By Rob Crilly, Senior U.S. Political Reporter Published: 21:03 BST, 27 July 2021 | Updated: 21:03 BST, 27 July 2021 Viewcomments President Biden said on Tuesday he was weighing whether to require all federal workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the nation faces surging infection rates and hospitalizations caused by the rampant Delta variant. He spoke just after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should go back to wearing masks indoors in regions where infections were on the rise. The moves illustrate how far the nation is from the 'summer of freedom' that Biden promised just last month. Biden was asked about mandatory vaccinations for federal employees during a visit to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. 'That's under consideration right now,' he said. President Biden said mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for federal workers was 'under consideration' during a visit to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, VA Earlier, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said vaccinated people should wear masks indoors to protect their loved one. 'We're not saying that wearing a mask is convenient, or people feel like it, but we are telling you that that is the way to protect yourself protect your loved ones and that's why the CDC is issuing this guidance,' she said. The White House is preparing to return to wearing masks again if required by the new federal guidance and rising rates of COVID-19, she added. Critics have accused infectious disease experts of flip-flopping on their guidance. But Psaki said the Delta variant had upended the scientific thinking since masking requirements were relaxed. 'That is their job,' she said. 'Their job is to look at evolving information, evolving data, an evolving historic pandemic and provide guidance to the American public.' At the White House, that would mean officials preparing to follow the new CDC guidelines and to monitor conditions that may require masking. 'First, we will, of course, be abiding by every aspect of the CDC guidelines on masking that they provide this afternoon,' she said. 'And that does mean, as you conveyed, that we will be looking at the rates in different areas where the president may visit and also the rates as they if they move in Washington, D.C. and we will apply guidance accordingly.' The new guidance set a threshold for masking at 50 cases per 100,000 people, based on a seven-day rolling average. In Washington, D.C., the figure stands at a shade over 45 cases per 100,000. Psaki faced repeated questions during the daily briefing about whether President Biden had been too quick to declare a 'summer of freedom' last month as the country faces setbacks in the fight against COVID-19. She insisted the responsible thing to do was to keep updating guidance as conditions changed. 'We're at war, we continue to be at war with a virus and evolving pandemic,' she said. 'Our responsibility here is to always leave with the science, and always lead with the advice of health and medical experts, and we're going to continue to provide information to all of you about how to protect yourself and save your lives.' Most new infections in the U.S. continue to be among unvaccinated people. But 'breakthrough' infections, which generally cause milder illness, can occur in vaccinated people. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility