The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is withdrawing emergency enforcement of its vaccinate-or-test mandate for businesses, although the agency is not withdrawing it as a proposed rule.
The move comes after the Supreme Court on Jan. 13 voted 6-3 to block enforcement of the mandate.
OSHA issued its vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard Nov. 5, 2021. The rule required large businesses with 100 or more employees to establish a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, unless they require workers to be vaccinated or undergo regular testing and wear a face covering at work. There was an exception for employees who don't work in close contact with others, The New York Times reported.
The mandate would have applied to about 84 million workers. Its withdrawal is effective Jan. 26.