Recently, president Biden issued orders to introduce Covid 19 vaccination mandate for federal contractors, laborers, and healthcare service providers. The initiative was to promote vaccination in the country and combat the rising surge in Covid cases.
The Biden administration asserted the fact that more than three-fifths of the US population is vaccinated. However, there are still around 60 million unvaccinated citizens which have become a threat for the vaccinated people in the states. This unvaccinated community is vulnerable to the infection and therefore, must get themselves vaccinated at the earliest if they want complete protection against the Omnicron variant.
The Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate For Federal And Healthcare Workers
The two orders by the Federal government were initiated to protect the contractors and healthcare service providers from the contagious spread of the disease. Contradictorily, the movie received huge opposition from many parts of the country, Across Florida, Ohio, Texas, California, New Mexico, several medical experts, and political leaders showed their opposition and condemned the mandates.
Earlier, the Biden administration issued orders stating that the federal worker’s providers must get their staff vaccinated before November 22, and around 94 percent of the employees got vaccinated. The mandate also clearly mentioned that non-compliant employees will have to face severe penalties and may get removed from their official duties.
The second order was for the private corporations with more than 100 employees. As per the order, all the companies with more than 100 employees must ensure that their entire staff is vaccinated. The order also mentioned that the company failing to abide by these mandate orders will have to face repercussions in the form of fines and penalties.
On the other hand, certain states passed the rule that if companies follow Joe Biden’s rule the local government will penalize the company.
The vaccine mandate was viewed as a threat to the concept of federalism and the political leaders and opposition believed that the move was insensitive and a hasty decision. Every US citizen must have equal rights to choose and opt for the preferred health care service. The mandate introduction will curb the basic rights of citizens and hence must be blocked.
Federal judges analyzed the situation and took into consideration the arguments and sentiments of the citizens while forming their judgment. On Tuesday the US District Court Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove gave his judgment to block the US vaccine mandate. As per the judgment, it is not necessary for the health care workers, contractors, and subcontractors in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee to get themselves vaccinated.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost criticized the move of the administration openly. He also said that the Federal executive branch does not have any right or authority to introduce such mandates across the states. He also sued to challenge the mandate orders for companies with more than 100 employees. Yost issued a statement saying, “The challenge is not about the vaccine, it is about the mandate’. The mandate is a severe threat and the president cannot impose such mandates on US citizens. Although around 25 states have already filed a lawsuit against the vaccine mandate rule in the United States.
The US vaccine mandates and rise in the number of cases in the country is a matter of concern for the government. The administration thinks that the only way to decrease the number of cases and increase vaccination across the country is by introducing such mandates.
It is speculated that the Biden administration will soon appeal to the federal court to reconsider their decision taking into consideration the current Covid situation. As of now, the mandate orders are on hold across the nations
