NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced that all healthcare workers in New York state must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 27.
The new mandate applies to staff at hospitals and long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, adult care, and other congregate care settings.
There will be "limited exceptions for those with religious or medical reasons," the governor's office said in a press release.
To date, 75% of the state's 450,000 hospital workers, 74% of the state's 30,000 adult care facility workers, and 68% of the state's 145,500 nursing home workers have completed their vaccine series, Cuomo's office said.
"Our healthcare heroes led the battle against the virus, and now we need them to lead the battle between the variant and the vaccine," Cuomo said. "We have always followed the science, and we're doing so again today, with these recommendations by Dr. Zucker and federal and state health experts."