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The US Supreme Court has ruled that President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for large employers is unconstitutional, but upheld his requirement for health care workers at facilities that receive federal funding.

The 6-3 decision on Thursday was a major blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 800,000 Americans and infected over 50 million.

The court said that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which issued the rule for businesses with 100 or more employees, lacked the authority to impose such a sweeping measure.

“The mandate is a significant encroachment on the states’ traditional police powers and on the liberty interests of individuals to direct their own medical care,” the court’s conservative majority wrote in an unsigned opinion.

The court added that Congress did not clearly authorize OSHA to enact such a rule, which would have affected about 84 million workers and required them to get vaccinated or undergo weekly testing and wear masks.

However, the court upheld a separate rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which applies to about 10 million health care workers at hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities that receive federal funds.

The court said that CMS had the statutory authority to issue such a rule, which was consistent with its longstanding role in regulating health and safety standards for health care providers.

The court also noted that health care workers were more likely to be exposed to Covid-19 and transmit it to vulnerable patients.

“Unlike OSHA’s mandate, CMS’s mandate does not significantly impinge on the states’ traditional police powers or on the liberty interests of individuals,” the court’s liberal minority wrote in an opinion joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The rulings came after several lawsuits were filed by Republican-led states, business groups and health care providers challenging the legality and constitutionality of the vaccine mandates.

President Biden expressed disappointment with the court’s decision to block his OSHA rule, but said he was pleased that it upheld his CMS rule.

He urged Americans to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible, saying that it was the best way to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus.

He also called on Congress to pass his Build Back Better plan, which would provide funding for Covid-19 testing, treatment and prevention.

“The pandemic is not over. We have more work to do. And we will not stop until we defeat this virus,” he said in a statement.