The US Court of Appeals has temporarily blocked mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for teachers and school staff in New York City. The decision was issued just days before the rule took effect. However, on Saturday (25/9), the court set a schedule for a follow-up hearing on the matter next week.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio last month set Monday, September 27, as the deadline for the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination for some 148,000 employees of the largest US school system.
The mandate is aimed at slowing the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
However, the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals late Friday blocked the vaccination deadline by granting an interim ruling to a small group of teachers and public school staff who opposed the mandate. The mandate does not allow them to opt for regular COVID-19 testing as an alternative to mandatory vaccination.
On Saturday (25/9), the court scheduled a follow-up hearing for Wednesday (29/9), following the city government’s request to speed up the trial.
Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington state have previously imposed mandatory vaccination rules on teachers and school staff as US teachers and parents struggle to find solutions to keep schools safely open amid the escalating coronavirus outbreak. [rd/ft]
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