Louisiana’s largest health system expressed disappointment with an appellate court’s order blocking its decision to fire or discipline north Louisiana employees who refuse its mandate to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“This ruling is inconsistent with established Louisiana law as well as with decisions of courts across the country upholding COVID-19 vaccine mandates,” Ochsner Health President and CEO Warner Thomas said in a statement. “Ochsner Health intends to appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court and is confident we will prevail.”

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal in Shreveport ruled on Thursday, just a day before Ochsner Health’s Friday deadline for its 32,000 employees across Louisiana and in a small part of Mississippi to be fully vaccinated or face dismissal.

State District Judge Craig Marcotte had thrown out a lawsuit brought Oct. 5 by dozens of employees at Ochsner’s Shreveport location. The three-judge appellate panel ordered him to hold a hearing on the mandate and to block enforcement until its legality is decided.

In light of the court’s decision, Thomas said, “we are deferring our compliance deadline for all Ochsner LSU Health employees across facilities in Shreveport and Monroe until the matter is settled.”

That includes deferring the requirement for all those unvaccinated to get tested weekly for COVID-19 starting Monday.