In early December 2021, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that all private sector employers in New York City would need to adopt a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for their workers. This meant that all private sector employees in New York City needed to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to perform in-person services within the Big Apple (subject to reasonable accommodations for medical, religious and other legally-protected reasons).

Just recently, however, current Mayor Eric Adams announced an end to this requirement. Indeed, starting November 1, 2022, private sector employees will no longer need to be fully vaccinated to work on-site within the City. As part of this, unvaccinated employees who currently receive reasonable accommodations in the form of an exemption to the vaccine mandate, will be able to perform in-person work without needing to wear a mask or test weekly for COVID-19. Notably, however, healthcare workers performing services in New York City will still be subject to the State’s vaccine mandate for such workers.

If you have any questions about how this impacts your business, Reed Smith’s Labor & Employment attorneys are ready to speak with you.