Granite State Times

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who has previously encouraged New Hampshire residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and booster, praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s blocking of the nationwide vaccine and testing mandates for large businesses.

On Jan. 13, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) exceeded its power in issuing the mandate, which would have required employers with 100 or more employees to require workers to be fully vaccinated or to test negative for coronavirus at least weekly. That rule would have covered 84 million employees, according to the White House.

“I would like to thank SCOTUS for listening to the countless businesses across New Hampshire that would have faced catastrophic workforce shortages had this mandate gone through,” Sununu tweeted on Jan. 13. “I am as pro-vaccine as they come, but today’s decision to halt the president's overreaching vaccine mandate is good news for employees and the businesses that keep our supply chains running and economy open.”

Gov. Chris Sununu | Facebook

OSHA subsequently withdrew, effective Jan. 26, its “vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued on Nov. 5, 2021,” according to OSHA's website. “Although OSHA is withdrawing the vaccination and testing ETS as an enforceable emergency temporary standard, the agency is not withdrawing the ETS as a proposed rule. The agency is prioritizing its resources to focus on finalizing a permanent COVID-19 Healthcare Standard. OSHA strongly encourages vaccination of workers against the continuing dangers posed by COVID-19 in the workplace.”

OSHA had estimated that its mandate would save 6,500 lives and prevent over 250,000 hospitalizations during the six months after implementation, according to WMUR9.

The three liberal justices on the Supreme Court said that blocking the mandate was wrong because it implies that the justices know better than the health experts, who recommend COVID-19 vaccines for almost everyone. However, the court is allowing the vaccine mandate specifically for health workers to proceed.

As of Jan. 27, New Hampshire had 407 hospitalizations because of the coronavirus, according to the New Hampshire COVID-19 dashboard. There have been 2,173 total deaths attributed to coronavirus, and there are 13,870 active cases. New Hampshire has had an average of 1,882 new cases each day for the past week. Only 56.1% of New Hampshire residents are fully vaccinated, with 62.7% having received just one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.