SCOTUS Blocks Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Businesses

Coronavirus Pandemic

By Alyssa Wilson Published: January 13, 2022

SCOTUS Blocks Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Businesses

FILE - In this March 11, 2021, file photo, President Joe Biden holds up his face mask as he speaks about the COVID-19 pandemic during a prime-time address from the East Room of the White House in Washington. The U.S. is meeting President Joe Biden’s latest vaccine goal of administering 200 million COVID-19 shots in his first 100 days in office, as the White House steps up its efforts to inoculate the rest of the public. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

In Summary

Large businesses will not have to force their employees to choose between being vaccinated or getting tested weekly

The Supreme Court of the United States has returned its ruling on the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for businesses, blocking it from moving forward, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The mandate would have required all employees at businesses with more than 100 employees to require employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing in addition to wearing a mask.

With a conservative majority, the court ruled the President’s administration overstepped its authority by trying to impose the rule that would impact more than 80 million people. However, the court will allow the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers to move forward, The Hill reported.

The United States is seeing another COVID-19 wave due to the highly contagious omicron variant. According to data from Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard, the United States has had more than 63,000,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 840,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

This is a developing story.