Supreme Court Blocks Biden's Workplace Vaccine Rules, Allows Requirement for Health-Care Workers
By Robert Barnes
The Supreme Court has blocked a federal mandate that would have required an estimated 84 million workers at the biggest U.S. employers to either be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. While the majority opinion held that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration lacked the authority to issue the rule, the justices affirmed the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary's power to impose vaccination requirements on health care personnel employed at federally funded facilities. The High Court declined to pull back a separate Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate that would have applied to about 10 million health care workers. To offset staff shortages, the HHS secretary has given affected facilities some wiggle room for compliance, such as an additional 60 days to get employees fully vaccinated. Enforcement will be paused, too, provided that 90% of a facility's workforce is vaccinated and a plan is in place to immunize the rest. President Biden welcomed the ruling on the CMS rule but voiced disappointment in the outcome on the OSHA rule. He issued a call for business leaders to independently adopt vaccination requirements "to protect their workers, customers, and communities."
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