U.S. Supreme Court halts COVID-19 vaccine rule for businesses

However, it allows the administration to proceed with a vaccine mandate for most health care workers in the U.S.

A view of the U.S. Supreme Court, in Washington.

The Supreme Court has stopped the Biden administration from enforcing a requirement that employees at large businesses be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing and wear a mask on the job.

At the same time, the court is allowing the administration to proceed with a vaccine mandate for most health care workers in the US.

The court's orders on Thursday during a spike in coronavirus cases was a mixed bag for the administration's efforts to boost the vaccination rate among Americans.

The court's conservative majority concluded the administration overstepped its authority by seeking to impose the vaccine-or-test rule on US businesses with at least 100 employees. More than 80 million people would have been affected.