Federal appeals court temporarily blocks Biden’s vaccine mandate
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more workers.
The court granted an emergency block of the requirement levied by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that workers be vaccinated by Jan. 4 or be subject to face mask requirements and weekly testing.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s top legal adviser Seema Nanda said the department is within its legal authority to issue the mandate. But at least 27 states filed lawsuits challenging the rule in several circuits, including South Carolina.
“The president is not above the law,” S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson, said in a statement after the ruling. “The Constitution will prevail.”
The emergency order is not a final decision and could later be overturned.
Latest COVID-19 data
South Carolina health officials reported 477 total cases of COVID-19 Nov. 8, with 353 confirmed. A total of 17 new deaths, 15 confirmed, were also reported.
With 23,839 tests reported, 3.2% were confirmed positive.
Over the weekend, DHEC confirmed 949 new cases, with 555 confirmed Saturday and 394 confirmed Sunday. A total of 38 new deaths were confirmed over the weekend, with 11 deaths confirmed Saturday and 27 deaths confirmed Sunday.
Percentage of S.C. residents with at least one vaccine: 63.3%
Percentage of S.C. residents who have completed vaccination: 55.5%
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