NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals panel has upheld New York state’s vaccine mandate for health care workers. The ruling late Friday by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a decision by an upstate judge who had temporarily blocked vaccination requirements on the grounds that the mandate did not accommodate religious exemptions. In a brief order, a panel of three 2nd Circuit judges also upheld a ruling by a Brooklyn judge who had found the mandate constitutional. The appeals court said a written decision would follow at a later date. In a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, commended the ruling.
Photo: FILE – The Supreme Court is seen at dusk in Washington, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. The Supreme Court has rejected an emergency appeal from health care workers in Maine to block a vaccine mandate that went into effect Friday, Oct. 29. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
