NYC, California to require vaccines for public workers

New York City and California will require their government workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine or submit to weekly coronavirus tests and wear masks indoors, as cases linked to the delta variant climb across the U.S.

In New York, city workers have until Sept. 13 to be vaccinated. Those who resist the new rules risk dismissal without pay.

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“The delta variant has thrown us a curve ball,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a briefing on Monday. “If someone is unvaccinated, unfortunately they pose a greater risk.”

While stopping short of full mandates, the moves are aimed at nudging vaccine-hesitant residents off the fence at a time when cases are rising. So far, most of the mandates that have been enacted in the U.S. have taken place at hospitals and other health-care settings.

San Francisco said in June that it would mandate its 35,000 employees to get the shots once the vaccine receives full authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, but asked workers in high-risk settings like nursing homes and homeless shelters to be vaccinated by Sept. 15. Currently,

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COVID vaccines are being administered in the U.S. under emergency authorizations. While several U.S. states have banned vaccine mandates, European politicians are moving closer to imposing restrictions. In France, for example, vaccines are compulsory for health workers and proof of vaccination is required for certain indoor events.

New York City’s broad vaccine rule expands a policy announced last week that requires health care workers in public hospitals and clinics to be vaccinated by Aug. 2 or submit to weekly tests. Foster care, senior center and shelter staff will be required to be vaccinated by Aug. 16, with the mandate applying to the whole city workforce of 300,000 employees by the first day of public school in mid-September.

Unvaccinated city schoolteachers, police officers, fire officials, front-line and office workers who don’t comply with testing and mask requirements won’t be able to come to work and will lose their pay.

“This means everybody,” de Blasio said. “If someone is not wearing their mask, they will be removed from the workplace.”

City officials also urged private employers to start requiring the shots and said the rise in cases was largely among unvaccinated residents. Despite having legal wherewithal to do so, few companies have implemented outright vaccine mandates. Morgan Stanley advised unvaccinated workers they would be barred from its New York offices, while JPMorgan Chase & Co. warned employees last month that it may require vaccines. Around 600 colleges and universities have mandated the vaccine for students returning for the fall semester, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

“My message to the private sector is go as far as you can go right now,” de Blasio said. “I would strongly urge a vaccination mandate.”