Vaccination requirement for large employers overturned
U.S. Labor Department withdraws law
The Labor Department said Tuesday it would withdraw its COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirement for large US employers after the US Supreme Court blocked the requirement, ending a controversial attempt to increase immunization rates.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced in the federal register that while it is withdrawing the interim emergency standard, the rule will remain in place as a proposed permanent rule.
"OSHA continues to strongly recommend vaccinating workers against the hazards of COVID-19 in the workplace," the notice reads.
COVID-19 has claimed more than 850,000 lives in the United States and the outbreak of the disease continues to weigh on the country's economy.
President Joe Biden unveiled a series of regulations in September aimed at increasing U.S. adult immunization coverage, which the government says currently stands at about 74%, among the lowest in developed countries.
The regulations have been challenged by conservative organizations, Republicans and some business associations.
OSHA's mandate for companies with 100 or more employees was blocked by the Supreme Court earlier this month, even though the court simultaneously allowed a separate vaccination requirement for workers in healthcare facilities.
A third key immunization mandate from the Biden administration required federal contractors to have their employees vaccinated. That was blocked by a federal judge in December, and last week a US judge blocked a vaccination requirement for federal employees.
While the courts have typically ruled that the government had no authority to mandate vaccinations, regulations made by corporations, state and local governments have been upheld.