On Friday, January 7, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument regarding two of the Biden administration’s most contentious COVID-19 workplace health and safety policies.
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi recently issued back-to-back executive orders (EO) regarding COVID-19. It appears that the third EO was stuck in holiday traffic.
There have been significant developments in the legal challenges brought against the interim final rule of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which requires vaccination of all healthcare workers at CMS-covered facilities throughout the U.S.
On November 29 and 30, 2021, two separate federal district courts issued injunctions blocking enforcement of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services interim final rule requiring healthcare worker vaccinations.
On November 15, 2021, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi issued Executive Order No. 2021-075, which integrates prior COVID-19-related orders still in effect and, notably, includes vaccine/testing requirements for employers with over 50 employees.
The 2nd Circuit has upheld NY’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, rejecting arguments advanced by healthcare professionals that the mandate’s failure to provide for religious exemptions violated their religious freedoms and should be enjoined.