Jul 28, 2021 - Health

NY to require state employees to get vaccinated or submit to testing

Picture of Andrew Cuomo

Photo: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

State employees in New York will be required to either get vaccinated or submit to regular coronavirus testing starting on Labor Day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Wednesday.

The big picture: The announcement comes as some areas have reimposed coronavirus restrictions, as country continues to grapple with the spread of the highly-transmissive Delta variant.

  • New York reported some 2,200 new cases Tuesday, up from 275 a month ago, on June 28, the New York Times reports.

State of play: Cuomo also said that in state-run hospitals, health care workers who handle patients will also be required to get vaccinated. They do not have the option to get tested, the New York Times reports.

What he's saying: "It’s smart, it’s fair and it’s in everyone’s interest," Cuomo said, per the Independent. "We’re working with our unions to implement this quickly and fairly."

Worth noting: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this week said all city workers would be required to get inoculated or get tested weekly. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced a similar requirement for that state's employees.

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