The Biden administration has asked the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the OSHA vaccine mandate. This vaccine-or-test requirement made mandatory for large employers was blocked earlier this month.
The 5the Circuit Court of Appeals had temporarily blocked the OSHA vaccine mandate.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Vaccine Mandate applies to all employers with over 100 employees, requiring them to agree to be tested weekly or get immunized against COVID-19.
The vaccine mandate is central to Biden’s efforts to control the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus. There are growing concerns that there is the chance of another surge of the pandemic in the winter months.
But Republican leaders and state attorney generals, several businesses, and conservative bodies are against the OSHA vaccine mandate. They say that OSHA doesn’t have the power to mandate the vaccine-or-test policy. They were successful in persuading a federal court for a stay in the OSHA vaccine mandate.
The justice department and the OSHA agency have filed the court that the OSHA vaccine mandate was vital to control the spread of the virus.
Federal Administration Says That Osha Vaccine Mandate Could Prevent 6,500 Deaths
The administration has estimated that the OSHA vaccine mandate would prevent 6,500 deaths and the hospitalization of over 250,000 workers for 6 months. There have been 750,000 pandemic-related deaths in the US and there has been a spike in cases in recent months.
The vaccine mandate is slated to become effective from January 4 the next year if it is allowed to be implemented. It will cover around 84M workers in private companies with 100 or more employees.
In its ruling, the 5the Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the OSHA vaccine mandate, calling it a sledgehammer that fails to differentiate between the requirements of various workplaces.
The US courts are deeply divided along partisan lines and are dominated by Republican appointees. Two other mandates, for federal contractors and healthcare workers, have not been blocked by US courts.
