JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal judge has blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate on health care workers in 10 states– one of which is South Dakota. The preliminary injunction issued Monday (Nov. 29, 2021) applies to a coalition of suing states. They are Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. A federal judge in Missouri said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid had no clear authority from Congress to enact the vaccine mandate for health care providers that participate in the two government programs. The rule requires workers to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 6 and their second dose by Jan. 4, 2021.
In the ruling U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp writes that “the court cannot, in good faith, allow CMS to enact an unprecedented mandate that lacks a ‘rational connection between the facts found and the choice made.’”
“This is a huge victory for healthcare workers in South Dakota, and especially for our rural hospitals and health care professionals who provide such crucial care to so many of our residents,” said South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg. “This ruling is a big win against this unprecedented federal overreach.”
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