Missouri to let nursing homes close due to vaccine mandate

(AP) — The Missouri health department is giving nursing homes a legal pathway to temporarily shut down if they face staffing shortages because of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. An emergency rule published Friday allows facilities to close for up to two years without the hassle of having to reapply for a license when they reopen. It covers facilities affected by a mandate from President Joe Biden’s administration that all health care workers be vaccinated. Missouri’s nursing homes have some of the lowest percentages of vaccinated workers nationally. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has sued to try to block the federal vaccine mandate.