(INDIANAPOLIS) – Governor Holcomb is joining a chorus of Republicans criticizing President Biden’s COVID-19 plan as overreach, and says there’s likely to be a lawsuit.
Holcomb says he’s still reviewing other parts of Biden’s six-point plan for bringing the coronavirus pandemic under control. But he says his “jaw dropped” at the use of workplace safety regulations to order businesses with more than 100 employees to require their employees to either get vaccinated, or get tested for the virus every week. The governor says he fully supports businesses who make their own decision to require the vaccine, but says it’s “a bridge too far” for the state or federal government to mandate it.
Holcomb contends the plan is not only bad policy but illegal. He predicts several states will challenge it in court, and says he expects to talk with Attorney General Todd Rokita, who’s also slammed the requirement, about whether Indiana should be one of them.
Holcomb says he’s “pleading” with Hoosiers to get vaccinated on their own accord. He says it’s “heartbreaking” to see the rising death toll from an illness that’s now largely preventable. 91% of Hoosiers hospitalized for COVID-19 last week, and 84% of cases overall, were unvaccinated. Less than .02% of fully vaccinated Hoosiers have been hospitalized with the virus.
Speaking at a conference of manufacturing CEO’s Friday, Holcomb asked for a show of hands of executives who support the vaccination order. Online viewers opposed it 18-4, while just four hands went up in support among about 50 in-person attendees. Some opponents in the crowd say they fear staunch vaccine opponents in their workforce will quit and worsen staffing shortages.
