With the delta variant surging and the first day of school quickly approaching, New York City and state officials are turning to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Governor Kathy Hochul pledged this week to pursue mask and vaccine requirements for grade schools. Face coverings would be universally required in these school buildings, while staff would face either getting the shots or seeking tests on a regular basis.
The newly-appointed governor also hinted at broader vaccine mandates now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. That approval automatically launched a vaccine mandate for college students in the State University of New York system, which former Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued back in May. The City University of New York followed suit on Monday, adding to a long list of public institutions and private companies in the tri-state area with these inoculation policies.
But after her inaugural proclamation, Hochul also said that she could not unilaterally require the COVID-19 vaccines for schools and beyond. She will need to work with lawmakers to develop these rules, and she has directed the New York State Department of Health to pursue the universal mask requirement for schools.
Read more at https://gothamist.com/news/mask-and-vaccine-mandates-are-legaland-new-yorkers-should-expect-more-of-them
