NY delays state worker office return and vaccine mandate
The New York State Capitol is seen on August 11, 2021 in Albany, New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York has delayed its requirement that state employees get vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo weekly tests by more than a month to Oct. 12, the same day telecommuting workers are now scheduled to return to their offices.
In-person state workplace rules were scheduled to restart this past Tuesday, and the vaccinate-or-test mandate was to go into effect this week for about 130,000 state workers.
But Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office of employee relations quietly outlined the changes in an internal memo sent Friday.
The memo also broadens mask mandates for vaccinated workers. Masks must now be worn in state facilities located in places with local mask mandates or in areas with high or substantial transmission of COVID-19 as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hochul spokesperson Hazel Crampton-Hays said in an email the administration updated guidance "to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and ensure government workplaces have flexibility as our hardworking state employees continue to safely return to in-person work."
More than 90% of state employees are working either full- or part-time in person.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the mandate in late July amid a rise in coronavirus cases linked to the delta variant, shortly before he resigned.
Cuomo also announced COVID-19 vaccines would be mandatory for "patient-facing" workers at state-owned hospitals and veterans homes. Employees covered by that mandate must receive their first dose by Sept. 27, according to the memo.
State public employees unions had mixed reactions to the mandates, with some labor leaders saying they were a matter for negotiation.
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