On September 20, 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that, effective November 1, 2022, private sector employers will no longer be required to mandate that employees be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

Background

Beginning on December 27, 2021, in an effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19, private employers that maintained a workplace in New York City or employed more than one worker in New York City had to mandate all of their workers be vaccinated for COVID-19, per the Order of the New York City Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the Workplace (“Order”).

In accordance with the Order, private employers were required to exclude from the workplace all workers who were not vaccinated for COVID-19, with the exception of workers who requested reasonable accommodations for medical or religious reasons. Under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, private employers were warned that any noncompliance with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate could subject them to fines of up to $1,000.00.

However, the new Adams administration did not actively enforce the Order, and in June 2022, the Mayor’s office confirmed that there were no plans to begin inspecting or fining private employers not in compliance.

Mandate Rescinded

After a few months of uncertainty about whether private employers should continue to require all of their workers be vaccinated for COVID-19, on September 20, 2022, Mayor Adams confirmed that New York City is ending the private employer vaccine mandate. Beginning November 1, 2022, workplace vaccine mandates in the private sector will be encouraged but not required.

Please contact any member of the Dentons Employment & Labor team for updated information about COVID-19 policies and practices.