Dozens of health groups urge businesses to voluntarily adopt Biden’s vaccine rule

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Thu, 2021-11-18 11:53 — mike kraft

Dozens of health groups urge businesses to voluntarily adopt Biden’s vaccine rule The American Medical Association and more than 60 other health care associations on Thursday called on employers to voluntarily implement President Biden’s contested vaccine-or-testing mandate, saying businesses have no time to waste ahead of the busy holiday season. Dan Diamond Washington Post

The American Medical Association and more than 60 other health care associations on Thursday called on employers to voluntarily implement President Biden’s contested vaccine-or-testing mandate, saying businesses had no time to waste ahead of the busy holiday season.

“We — physicians, nurses and advanced practice clinicians, health experts, and health care professional societies — fully support the requirement that workers at companies with over 100 workers be vaccinated or tested,” the organizations wrote in a joint statement. “From the first day of this pandemic, businesses have wanted to vanquish this virus. Now is their chance to step up and show they are serious.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the rule on Nov. 4, and the White House has said that the mandate will save lives by encouraging more people to get vaccinated. But Republican-aligned states, businesses and legal groups immediately sued to block it, arguing that it was government overreach, and a federal appeals court last week upheld a stay. OSHA has suspended enforcement of the rule, which was set to take partial effect on Dec. 5, pending further legal developments.

In Thursday’s joint statement, the health care associations said that Biden’s requirements for businesses were “reasonable and essential,” citing evidence that coronavirus outbreaks have been driven by viral spread at offices, retail locations and other business settings. “Requiring masks for all unvaccinated workers by the December 5th deadline will be key to keeping customers and fellow workers safe during the holiday shopping and travel season,” according to the organizations, which also include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Surgeons and the National League for Nursing. ...

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