The injunction is a new challenge to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's decision to make vaccinations mandatory for all members of the military. The vaccination requirement allows for exemptions on religious and other grounds, but none of the thousands of requests for religious waivers so far have been granted. There was no indication that the order would affect service members beyond the 35 sailors who sued Austin and the Navy. “The Navy servicemembers in this case seek to vindicate the very freedoms they have sacrificed so much to protect,” O'Connor wrote. In the early stages of the pandemic, the Navy struggled with one particularly critical COVID-19 outbreak.

Source: ABC News January 05, 2022 10:31 UTC