Frontline healthcare workers at New York State-run hospitals will have to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Labor Day and won’t have the option to get tested weekly instead, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced during a Zoom webinar Wednesday, July 27.
All roughly 130,000 state employees will also be required to get the shot before returning to in-person work by September 6, or submit to weekly testing, Cuomo said.
This vaccine-or-testing model echoes Mayor Bill de Blasio’s recent plans for New York City municipal employees set to roll out in different agencies over the coming weeks, as well as President Joe Biden’s requirement for federal employees set to be announced Thursday.
Employers can legally require their workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to the workplace, according to the US Department of Justice, and Cuomo said he will work with labor unions in the coming weeks.