CREDIT: (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Joe Biden, Scott Morrison
CICINNATI,OH (77WABC) – A federal appeals court panel on Friday allowed President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for larger private employers to move ahead, reversing a previous decision on a requirement that could affect some 84 million U.S workers.
The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati overrules a decision by a federal judge in a separate court that had paused the mandate nationwide.
The mandate from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration was to take effect Jan. 4. With Friday’s ruling, it’s not clear when the requirement might be put in place, but the White House said in a statement that it will protect workers: “Especially as the U.S. faces the highly transmissible Omicron variant, it’s critical we move forward with vaccination requirements and protections for workers with the urgency needed in this moment.”
Republican state attorneys general and conservative groups said they would appeal Friday’s decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
However, The U.S. Dept. of Labor announced Saturday, employers will be given more time to comply with the vax or test and mask mandate. Employees who are not vaccinated now have until February 9th to get tested weekly instead of the original date of January 4th.
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