NEW ORLEANS, La. – A federal appeals court upheld a lower-court decision that blocks President Biden’s Covid vaccine mandate for health-care workers — but only in 14 states. The Biden mandate remains in effect in states that hadn’t gone to court against the mandate. These include Minnesota and Wisconsin. In effect, the three-judge appellate panel overruled District Judge Terry Doughty’s nationwide injunction against the mandate two weeks ago except for the original 14 states that sued the government. Louisiana’s attorney general, who led he 14-state challenge to the mandate, called it a violation of individual freedom. The Biden administration responded that the health of the nation hinges on an immunized health-care system.
Biden mandate
The Biden emergency regulation requiring that heath-acre workers be vaccinated against Covid was issued November 4 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The regulation would have required staff at providers that participate in the programs to receive at least one dose of vaccine by December 6 and be fully vaccinated by January. It would have covered 17 million health-care workers nationwide.