Amid the spread of the most contagious coronavirus variant yet, major decisions by conservative politicians and judges at the federal and state levels are making it virtually impossible for public health authorities to contain the virus and keep the public safe. This ideological zealotry will cost lives.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Biden administration’s effort to impose a vaccine mandate in workplaces, which would have dramatically boosted vaccination rates and defused key superspreader situations. In Missouri, the Parson administration’s premature back-to-normal policies make no special sick-leave provisions for infected state workers, incentivizing them to bring the contagion into the office. It’s as if conservatives are trying to ensure the coronavirus thrives.
President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for major employers was flexible to the point of drawing criticism from medical experts for not being strong enough. Employees who didn’t want to vaccinate had the option of regular testing instead, and there was a religious opt-out.
