The California appeals court halted the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for prison workers on Friday.
The mandate was supposed to take effect on January 12 but was blocked until at least March when a hearing will take place, according to a report from the Associated Press.
The mandate was ordered by a US district judge in September and was based on the recommendation of the court-appointed receiver who manages the state prison health care system. A federal judge in 2005 ordered someone to be appointed to this position after finding that the California prison system had not provided adequate health care to inmates.
A panel of judges on the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals made the decision to temporarily block the mandate.
The governor of California, a democrat, opposed the requirement for prison workers to be tested for COVID-19, the AP reported.
The Los Angeles Times reported earlier in November that the CDCR has implemented rigorous COVID safety measures, including mandatory masking, twice weekly testing for staff and the early deployment of vaccines for inmates.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association argued that the mandate could lead to shortages in prison workers and create a crisis in the state prison system.
Steven Fama, an attorney for the non-profit Prison Law Office, which represents prisoners in California, told the outlet that he believed that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association had supported him in the recall election.
The LA Times reported that the organization donated over one million dollars to a group that supported the candidate.
Don Specter, director of the Prison Law Office, told the AP that the judge's decision to halt the mandate puts both the prison staff and the inmates at greater risk of infections.
The mandate was designed to prevent further prison riots. An outbreak in 2020 killed 28 inmates and a correctional officer at the San Quentin State Prison, according to the AP.
