New York City Health Care Staff Must Vaccinate Or Be Weekly Tested

The New York City order will go into effect from August 2 and apply to the some 30,000 employees in the city's 11 public hospitals.

New York City will require public hospital workers to get vaccinated or take a weekly coronavirus test, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday as the metropolis faces an uptick in cases fueled by the Delta variant. The order will go into effect from August 2 and apply to the some 30,000 employees in the city's 11 public hospitals. "This is the first step -- everyone should do this now to save lives," de Blasio told a press conference. "If we don't see vaccination numbers go up fast enough, if we don't see progress against the variant, we are going to consider a range of options," he said, adding that he hoped private hospitals would take similar steps.