A US federal court restored, Friday, December 17, the vaccination obligation for employees of large companies, desired by the Biden administration to stem the Covid-19 pandemic. The measure was suspended in early November by another body.
According to the text, employees of companies with more than 100 employees must be vaccinated by January 4, under penalty of having to undergo very regular tests.
Announced in mid-September, this measure was adopted in early November by the White House and immediately challenged urgently in court, in particular by the state of Texas, controlled by Republicans opposed to any vaccine obligation to fight the pandemic. The measure was suspended on November 6 by a Texas appeals court pending a review on the merits.
“The best way out of the epidemic”
Another court of appeal, in New Orleans, had maintained this suspension in mid-November, considering that the vaccination requirement exceeded “Widely” the authority of the US government.
“It is established that the Covid-19 continued to spread, to mutate, to kill and to prevent the safe return of American employees to their work”, explained Friday in its decision the Court of Appeal of Ohio, seized in turn by the ministry of justice to judge all the appeals. This decision can still be challenged in the US Supreme Court.
“To protect workers, the Osha [l’Agence fédérale sur la sécurité et la santé au travail] can and should be able to respond to evolving dangers ”adds Judge Jane Stranch. She notes that the Osha has already enjoyed wide powers in history to ensure the safety of workers and “Demonstrated the widespread danger that Covid-19 poses for workers – the unvaccinated in particular – at their workplace “.
The suspension of the vaccine requirement had been a major setback for Democratic President Joe Biden, who considered the measure to be “The best way out of this pandemic”. “Too many people remain unvaccinated for us to be able to get out permanently”, he had estimated.