Governor Andrew Cuomo has said repeatedly that he doesn’t believe the state can force people to take a coronavirus vaccine. He’s even gone as far as to say that short of better messaging and education – the state has few options if people are not confident in a vaccine.
However, a bill was introduced a few days ago to address that issue.
New York State Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, a Democrat from Manhattan, introduced a bill on December 4th that would mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for those who can receive it safely.
The caveat is that the mandate would only be triggered if the state cannot reach herd immunity.
Earlier this week Governor Cuomo said that upwards of 49% of people are not yet confident in a COVID-19 vaccine. Even as approval and the first round of distribution is days away.
“If public health officials determine that sufficient immunity has not been developed, this legislation will allow the Department of Health to require vaccination for individuals able to safely receive the vaccine,” the bill reads.
You can read the entire bill yourself by clicking here.
It’s not clear at this point if the bill would even garner enough support to pass and be signed into law.
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