US Court of Appeals restores vaccine mandate for large companies

After suspending the measure in court in November, a federal appeals court in the United States on Friday reinstated a mandate from the Biden administration for large companies to require antiCovid vaccines from their employees.

President Joe Biden had set a January 4 deadline for companies with more than 100 employees to ensure their employees are fully immunized against COVID-19, a rule that the administration said accounts for two-thirds of the country’s labor force. will affect more than

Friday’s decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the earlier suspension, allowing the vaccine order to go ahead, although the matter is likely to go to the Supreme Court.

Judge Jane Stranch did not rule on the final merit of the order, but ruled that it has the potential to be considered legitimate to protect American workers from the coronavirus.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the United States, killing more than 800,000 people, closing workplaces and jobs across the country, and threatening our economy,” he said.

Therefore, the previous court order was not legal, Stranch said.

The ruling contradicted a decision last month by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which criticized the mandate as “too broad.”

The opposing rulings between the two courts raised a potential appeal challenge to the Supreme Court from petitioners in the case, which include five heavily Republican states, as well as several private companies and religious groups.

Vaccine mandates have a long history in the United States, but are usually established by cities or states.

The issue in this case is the constitutionality of a US president beginning such an extensive term at the national level.

“Vaccination is the best way out of this pandemic,” Biden said of the order.

“Businesses have more power than ever to accelerate our journey through this pandemic, save lives and protect our economic recovery.”

Mandates announced earlier by many large employers have yielded impressive results.

As of Friday night, about 85% of US adults and 72.5% of the total population had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

KAV / BFM / AG / GM