Several dozen Tennessee companies and institutions that were requiring employee vaccinations will no longer be allowed to enforce such rules. The change was announced Wednesday by the state comptroller and comes in response to a pair of federal court rulings the day before.
A judge’s ruling in Kentucky blocked the mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors in three states, including Tennessee. It was supposed to take effect on Jan. 4. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove said vaccines are effective and that governments can in some cases require vaccinations — but that he doesn’t think the president has the authority in this case.
“The question presented here is narrow,” the judge wrote. “Can the president use congressionally delegated authority to manage the federal procurement of goods and services to impose vaccines on the employees of federal contractors and subcontractors? In all likelihood, the answer to that question is ‘no.'”
Meanwhile, a judge in Louisiana issued a ruling that blocks the vaccine mandate for health care workers, which was scheduled to begin on Monday.
Tennessee passed a broad ban on vaccine mandates this fall, but created an allowance for institutions that receive federal funding and would therefore be subject to President Joe Biden’s mandate. So far, the state has granted 69 exemptions.
But now that the two judges have blocked the federal vaccine mandate, Tennessee’s comptroller has revoked the special permissions that were granted to the organizations that wanted to require vaccination, saying there’s no longer a threat of losing out on federal dollars.
“Following the district court’s preliminary injunction, we have paused our efforts to require proof of vaccination from all employees – a move we announced to employees late yesterday,” says Dalya Qualls, SVP and chief communications officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield Tennessee. “At the same time, we know COVID-19 is not going away and so we’re still encouraging vaccination as the best way for our employees to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
The comptroller says the state will still review requests for exemptions, but not grant them. Further court action or appeals could also lead to more changes.
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