US Vaccine Mandate Halted, Germany Accelerates Bill Proposal (Comprehensive)

(Photo by AP News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The two major powers, the United States and Germany, where the number of new COVID-19 cases is explosively increasing, are showing contrasting movements regarding vaccine mandates.

While the U.S. invalidated private companies' vaccine mandate measures, calling them an "excessive exercise of authority," Germany is intensifying the debate over vaccine mandates by preparing legislation, stating that "vaccine orders are decisions related to the entire nation, not individuals."

According to the Associated Press on the 13th (local time), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)'s mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccination for employees at private businesses with 100 or more workers (about 80 million people) was an excessive exercise of authority.

All six conservative justices opposed the mandate, stating that there was insufficient legal basis for vaccine mandates, resulting in a 6-3 split decision.

Earlier, the Biden administration mandated COVID-19 vaccination for private sector employees in November last year, requiring unvaccinated individuals to undergo regular testing and wear masks. Companies that failed to comply were subject to fines.

This Supreme Court ruling puts a brake on the Biden administration's vaccine mandate measures. The court stated, "There has been no precedent for such a forced order," and "While Congress enacted important laws to respond to COVID-19, it rejected the enactment of measures similar to those announced by OSHA."

Progressive justices defended the authorities' judgment, saying it was based on a sense of responsibility to respond to health emergencies occurring in workplaces, leading to the split decision.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court decided to uphold the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in nursing homes and hospitals by a 5-4 vote. This measure applies to 10.3 million workers at 76,000 institutions.

In the U.S., new COVID-19 cases are surging due to the spread of Omicron, but vaccination rates remain stagnant. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 62.7% of the total U.S. population, or 280 million people, have completed vaccination, and about one-third of them have received booster shots.

On the other hand, Germany is strongly pushing forward legislation to mandate vaccination for adults aged 18 and over. As the number of new COVID-19 cases soared to an all-time high, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's push for vaccine mandate legislation is gaining momentum.

In the first government questioning session in the Bundestag yesterday, Scholz stated, "COVID-19 vaccination should be mandatory for all adults aged 18 and over," and added, "I hope the Bundestag finds flexible solutions to achieve this."

Before taking office, Scholz pledged in November last year to introduce vaccine mandates within the first quarter of this year. The ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD), to which Scholz belongs, plans to propose legislation for vaccine mandates in the Bundestag by the end of this month and aims to pass it in March.

Scholz emphasized, "Vaccine mandates are necessary policies," and said, "Vaccine orders are decisions not only related to individuals but also to the other 80 million citizens, considering the scale of new infections."