Mon, Sep 27, 2021
Newsweek
U.S.

New York Becomes Third State to Require Employees Get COVID Vaccine or Weekly Tests

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U.S. New york Vaccine Coronavirus Workforce

New York announced Wednesday it will require all state employees to either get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Labor Day, September 6, or get tested for the virus on a weekly basis.

The mandate for inoculation or frequent testing for government workers makes New York the third government entity to issue such a requirement. California, Nevada and New York City announced similar policies earlier this week.

"It's smart, it's fair and it's in everyone's interest,"Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a Wednesday Zoom call with the nonprofit Association for a Better New York.

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below:

Cuomo
New York is the third government entity to issue a mandate for inoculation or frequent testing for government workers. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference at New York's Yankee Stadium on Monday. Richard Drew/AP Photo

New York, like other states, has seen a rising number of coronavirus cases linked to the Delta variant. New infections have climbed more than 400 percent since the end of June.

NYC COVID Testing
Due to the rapidly spreading Delta variant, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that the city will require all city workers to be vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19. A COVID-19 testing site stands along a street on Monday in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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