Governor McMaster issues Executive Order barring SC cabinet agencies from enforcing vaccine mandate

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– A new Federal mandate will require nearly 100 million workers across the Country to get the COVID-19 vaccine by January, 4 2022. If businesses do not comply with either getting all employees vaccinated or undergoing regular testing, they could face thousands of dollars in fines from the Federal Government.

“We have been stunned at the overreach of the Biden administration. Stunned is the word. I have never seen a president go out of the bounds of the law as much as this one,”

McMaster said.McMaster says he will issue an Executive Order barring any state cabinet agency from issuing or enforcing any vaccine mandate.

The governor also disagrees with the city of Columbia’s decision to require employees to get vaccinated.

“I don’t believe in vaccination mandates from any government. There are plenty of vaccines out there. You can take your choice. You can take your time. You can get whatever brand you want. You can do it almost anywhere in the state,” McMaster said. “There are some people who for various reasons do not want to have a vaccine.”

He believes that a vaccine mandate is not a good idea for any business but says that decision should be made by those businesses and not the federal government.

McMaster admits that new variants of the virus could be around the corner, but McMaster disagrees with any vaccine mandate on the Federal level.

“We are not saying that people should not get vaccinated. We are not saying that the virus is not dangerous. We do not know what variant may come later. We could have a series. We’ve already had two,” the governor said.

The danger the virus still poses is why the president’s chief medical advisor believes a vaccine mandate is a good idea.

“If you take the fact that mandates work and vaccine absolutely save lives, the answer to your question is ‘Yes, it does save lives,’” Dr. Anthony Fauci said.

However, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson released a statement today siding with the governor in opposition to the OSHA vaccine mandate. He and the governor are prepared to fight it.

“Surely we are facing an unprecedented pandemic, at least in our lifetimes, but the Constitution is there for difficult times and situations,” McMaster said. “The Constitution does not allow what the Biden administration is doing.”

McMaster says he will also require state agencies to report any communication with federal government on vaccine mandates, in anticipation of litigation.

In addition, the Governor says South Carolina has joined a lawsuit, led by the state of Georgia, against a federal contractor vaccine mandate.