Telling anti-vaxxers to get the jab should not be controversial – even Fox News is doing it

If there is to be any hope of returning to normal, we need strict vaccine and testing rules. What is the problem with that?

Can someone please run over to hell and check if it has frozen over? You see, I've just found myself nodding along to Fox News. On Sunday, Fox News personality Neil Cavuto implored viewers to toss the political speaking points" and get vaccinated. Life is too short to be an ass," he said, adding that he expected to be attacked for his views.

Telling people to get vaccinated during a pandemic shouldn't be controversial. Cavuto's employer has worked overtime to ensure that it is. A recent analysis by a media watchdog found 60% of Fox News' summer programming included claims undermining vaccinations. While Fox has been amplifying anti-vaxxer propaganda, however, it has also been quietly enforcing its own strict vaccination and testing policies. Nearly 90% of full-time employees at the Fox Corporation have been vaccinated, it was reported last month. The company has also said it will soon implement daily Covid testing for employees who haven't had the jab.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist