governor.sc.gov
Daniel Prince
Move likely to set up showdown in court
Setting up a likely showdown in the courts, Governor Henry McMaster issued an executive order on Thursday prohibiting all state cabinet agencies from requiring employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The move applies to 19 state agencies that comprise his cabinet.
Additionally, his executive order directs every agency in state government to immediately notify the Office of the Governor and the Office of the South Carolina Attorney General upon receiving any communication or directives from the Biden Administration concerning COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
The governor and Attorney General Alan Wilson are fighting the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors and are preparing for a legal challenge to the recently announced federal OSHA vaccination requirement on employers with 100 or more employees, which would include state agencies.