The Supreme Court’s ruling on the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate is a “setback,” according to a federal medical official.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said the ruling was “disappointing” amid additional efforts from the Biden administration to fight COVID-19 during a surge of infections.
“Well, the news about the workplace requirement being blocked was very disappointing,” Murthy told ABC’s Martha Raddatz on Sunday. “It was a setback for public health. Because what these requirements ultimately are helpful for is not just protecting the community at large, but making our workplaces safer for workers as well as for customers.”
The Supreme Court’s decision to block the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test requirement for large private businesses is a “setback for public health,” @Surgeon_General Vivek Murthy tells @MarthaRaddatz. https://t.co/53zykBtwyo pic.twitter.com/reKjMwh0zU
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 16, 2022
That shouldn’t stop businesses from considering implementing their own vaccine mandates, Murthy argued. “There is nothing that stops workplaces from voluntarily putting reasonable requirements in place. In fact, many have done so already; a third of the Fortune 100 companies have put these in place, and many more outside have, so we are certainly encouraging companies to put these requirements in place voluntarily.”
Murthy’s remarks arrive after the Supreme Court voted 6-3 on Thursday to block a vaccine-or-test mandate for large businesses, although the court voted 5-4 to keep the healthcare worker mandate.
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This ruling has not stopped the Biden administration from taking other steps toward offering support. The White House announced that Americans would be able to order free rapid at-home COVID-19 tests starting on Jan. 19. The White House also intends to pursue additional COVID-19 treatment and test funding.
