Gov. Kemp responds to halt on Pres. Biden’s vaccine mandate

ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is responding after a federal appeals court in Louisiana on Saturday issued a temporary halt to President Joe Biden’s coronavirus vaccine mandate.

The mandate would have applied to businesses with 100 or more employees and would have gone into effect on Jan. 4.

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On Saturday, Kemp said the move was a good indication for a lawsuit the state filed over the mandate on Oct. 11.

“We will continue our legal efforts and are confident this unlawful, unconstitutional order will be struck down,” Kemp tweeted.

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The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued the brief ruling, saying the petitioners “give cause to believe there are grave statutory and constitutional issues with the mandate,” The New York Times reported.

The order was signed by a deputy clerk and said the rule was suspended “pending further action by this court,” the newspaper reported.

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Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced that it would require businesses with 100 or more workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to regular testing by early next year. The administration announced that it would issue the law through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in September.

On Friday, Kemp called the mandate a power-grab and said the lawsuit has been published to the federal register.

“In addition to vilifying Americans for their personal choices, Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates are unlawful and a recipe for economic disaster,” Kemp said in a statement. “With inflation skyrocketing, the supply chain screeching to a halt, and job creators across the country desperately searching for more workers, Biden is pouring gasoline on a fire.”

Georgia has joined the states of Florida and Alabama, along with several private employers, in filing the lawsuit with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Private employers that are also parties in the action include the Georgia Highway Contractors Association, the Georgia Motor Trucking Association and Robinson Paving Co.

Only 50% of Georgians have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 25,000 Georgians, which amounts to around 1 in 300 people across the state, have died of the virus.

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