Companies keep mum as vaccine mandate goes to Supreme Court

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO

NEW YORK (AP) — Companies that would be affected by a Biden administration vaccine-or-testing requirement for workers have largely remained on the sidelines while the Supreme Court considers whether the rule can be enforced. The requirement has faced numerous court challenges and was upheld last month by a three-judge panel with the U.S. Court of Appeals. Since then, Starbucks has announced its own vaccine mandate. It said in December that all U.S. workers must be fully vaccinated by Feb. 9 or face a weekly COVID testing requirement. The arguments before the Supreme Court come as companies are grappling with labor shortages made more acute by the rapid spread of the highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19.