US court allows Biden’s vaccine mandate to be reinstated in offices

One of many anti-vaccine mandate activists holds a sign during a rally outside Phoenix City Council chambers. Pic/AP

A federal appeals court panel allowed President Joe Biden's Covid-19 vaccine mandate for larger private employers to move ahead, reversing a previous decision on a requirement that could affect some 84 million US workers. The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati overrules a decision by a federal judge in a separate court that had paused the mandate nationwide.

The mandate from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was to take effect January 4. With the ruling, it's not clear when the requirement might be put in place, but the White House said in a statement that it will protect workers, "especially as the US faces the highly transmissible Omicron variant, it's critical we move forward with vaccination requirements and protections for workers with the urgency needed in this moment."

The requirement was pushed back by 27 Republican-led states that joined hands with conservative groups, business associations and some individual businesses as soon as OSHA published the rules in early November. They argued the agency was not authorised to make the emergency rule, in part because the Coronavirus is a general health risk and not one faced only by employees at work.

The vaccine requirement would apply to companies with 100 or more employees and would cover about 84 million workers in the US. Employees who are not fully vaccinated would have to wear face masks and be subject to weekly Covid-19 tests. There would be exceptions, including for those who work outdoors or only at home. The vaccine rule for private employers is separate from other vaccine mandates announced by the Biden administration that apply to federal government contractors and workers in health care facilities that receive funding from Medicaid or Medicare. Those rules also are under assault from conservatives and have been paused in at least some parts of the country.

France declares new anti-Covid measures

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced new measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 and called on citizens to respect preventive measures during the celebrations. Facing the fifth wave of the pandemic, Castex announced that, effective from January 3, 2022, the booster shot can be received in four months, instead of the current five months.

27,42,24,793
Total number of cases worldwide as of Saturday

53,64,244
Total no. of deaths due worldwide

24,61,62,161
Patients recovered worldwide as of Saturday

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