Watch Live: Biden set to announce COVID-19 vaccine push for federal workforce

Washington — President Biden is set to announce Thursday that all federal workers and contractors will be required to confirm they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to regular testing and abide by COVID-19 protocols in the workplace as the Delta variant continues its sweep across the country.

The president's announcement, to be made during remarks "laying out the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated," according to the White House, comes weeks after he celebrated "independence from" COVID-19 during a July 4 gathering. But with the highly contagious Delta variant driving the rise in infections, hospitalizations and deaths, many areas of the country are returning to more stringent mitigation measures, even for the vaccinated.