Washington: On Tuesday, Joe Biden administration formally withdrew the Covid vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses. The mandate was earlier struck down by the Supreme Court.
The occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) said that although it was withdrawing the mandate it strongly encourages vaccination of workers against the prevailing dangers posed by Covid-19 in the workplace.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had blocked Biden administration’s vaccination-or-testing mandate for businesses with 100 employees or more. Unvaccinated employees will have to present weekly negative tests, and wear face masks while at work.
The Supreme Court’s six conservative justices blocked the mandate saying, “Although Congress has indisputably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational dangers, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly.”
The three liberal justices disagreed with the ruling saying that it hinders the federal government’s ability to counter the unprecedented threat that Covid-19 poses to the nation’s work force.
