WILMINGTON, Del. - A U.S. appeals court on Friday reinstated a nationwide vaccine-or- testing COVID 19 mandate for large businesses, a federal rule that covers 80 million American workers.
The ruling from the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati lifted a November injunction that had blocked the rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA, which applies to businesses with less than 100 workers.
The law authorizes OSHA to act on its charge '' to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for the nation's work force and to preserve the nation's human resources, according to the opinion of the three-judge panel.
President Joe Biden unveiled regulations in September to increase the adult vaccine rate as a way of fighting the pandemic, which has killed more than 750,000 Americans and weighed on the economy.
Companies such as United Airlines have used mandates to increase the number of vaccinated employees, often with only a small number of workers refusing the shots.
Republicans, conservative groups, and trade organizations sued over the OSHA rule, arguing that the agency overstepped its authority.
The rule set a Jan. 4 deadline for compliance, but it is not sure if it will be enforced because the rule was blocked for weeks.