Albany: New York will ask all state employees to be vaccinated against the Coronavirus by Labor Day or underwent a weekly test for Covid-19, Governor Andrew Cuomo told Wednesday.
“This is smart, just and it’s in everyone’s interest,” said Cuomo in a zoom call with a non-profit association for better New York.
In mandating a shot, or often testing for government workers, Cuomo follows in the heels of California and New York City, which announces a similar policy for employees earlier this week.
New York, like other countries, has seen the increasing number of Coronavirus cases related to Delta variants.
New infections have climbed more than 400% since the end of June.
Cuomo said the vaccine would be mandatory for “frontline” workers in state-owned hospitals.
The employee will not be able to avoid inoculation by undergoing virus testing that often occurs.
The country flowed in hospitals in Syracuse and New York City and in Long Island.
Democrats say the government still needs to talk to union officials about how to implement the policy.
Some trade unions representing government workers in New York City have objected to the mandate of “Get Vaccination or tested” there, which will come into force in mid-September.
Requests for comments were sent to several unions representing a large number of state employees.
While the overall level of infection in New York remains much lower than they during the winter, the voluntary vaccination campaign here has stopped, as it has in most of the US.
The state government and the city have tried many incentive programs to overcome reluctance, but the momentum now shifts towards making a mandatory vaccine or requires people who reject them to obey the limits or get a frequent test.
President Joe Biden considers requiring federal employees to show evidence of vaccination or subject to regular testing and wear a mask.
More and more hospitals and nursing homes throughout the US have mandated vaccines for workers.