NY Gov. Cuomo Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for State Employees

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a press conference in New York City on May 27, 2021. Mark Lennihan/Pool via Reuters

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that he would mandate all state employees either get vaccinated or regularly tested.

“President [Joe] Biden is reported that he’s going to announce soon that all federal employees must be vaccinated or get tested. New York State is doing the same,” Cuomo said during a virtual meeting.

On Tuesday, Biden said the mandate for all federal workers to get the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus—which causes the disease COVID-19—vaccine is “under consideration.”

“It’s smart. It’s fair. It’s in everyone’s interest,” Cuomo continued, noting that he’s working with state unions to implement the mandate by Labor Day.

New York has about 130,000 state workers.

“But I think we have to go further here. I think we need dramatic action to get control of this situation,” Cuomo announced. “So in New York and our state hospitals, all patient-facing health care workers must get vaccinated. There will be no testing option for patient-facing health care workers.”

“That is a point of contact. That could be a serious spreading event,” Cuomo explained.

Cuomo’s announcement comes after the Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded in an opinion Tuesday that federal law doesn’t prohibit public agencies and private businesses from requiring CCP virus vaccines, even the vaccines that are under the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization.

The U.S. Department of Justice is seen in Washington, on June 11, 2021. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

“By law, an employer can mandate vaccines,” Cuomo continued, referencing the DOJ opinion.

Cuomo also encourages private sectors to admit “vaccinated-only people” into their establishments.

“I think it’s good business for the private sector. I also think it provides a real incentive for people to get the vaccine,” said Cuomo.

Cuomo didn’t declare a mandate in schools, but said school districts should “strongly consider taking more aggressive action.”

“Schools can become super-spreaders in September,” Cuomo claimed.

Cuomo pointed out that the CCP virus vaccine right now is under emergency use authorization, so states are limited as to what they can mandate.

“Once the vaccine is finally approved, then the state has more legal authority to mandate the vaccine,” Cuomo said.

On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs declared its CCP virus vaccine mandate for health care workers, becoming the first major federal agency to implement such a mandate.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that all city workers would have to either be vaccinated or tested weekly. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a similar measure hours later.

New York has over 400,000 employees, while California has at least 238,000 state employees.