Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine Mandates

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health and Safety for information on the mask (face covering) mandate

The New York State mask-or-vaccine requirement for all indoor businesses settings was officially lifted on Thursday, February 10, 2022.

However the State still requires face coverings for everyone when in:

Public transit
Health care settings
Childcare centers
Congregate settings, such as nursing homes and homeless shelters
Correctional facilities

Private Businesses

The Key to NYC vaccine mandate ended on March 7, 2022. The program required employees and customers of indoor dining, fitness, and entertainment venues to prove they were vaccinated.

Businesses previously covered by Key to NYC rules can still require proof of vaccination or masking indoors if they choose.

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene workplace vaccine mandate (separate from Key to NYC) for all private businesses in New York City remains in effect. Employees covered by this mandate are required to show their employers proof that they received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by December 27, 2021. Proof of a second dose (for Pfizer or Moderna vaccines) is required 45 days later.

Reasonable accommodation requests must have been submitted to employers by December 27. Employees may continue working while accommodations are being processed.

Employers must:

Post an official DOHMH sign in an obvious spot
Keep a record of each worker’s proof and any reasonable accommodations
Ensure employees get their second dose

Learn more about the mandate.

Business owners can access resources and assistance from Small Business Services (SBS) on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Businesses page.

Public Schools

At this time, there is no general vaccine mandate for students ages 5 or older attending public school. However, vaccination is required for students ages 5 and up participating in high-risk sports and extracurricular activities.

All DOE employees and City contracted child care/after-school staff were also required to submit proof of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by October 1, 2021. Learn more on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Schools page.

Private Schools

All employees at private schools, including yeshivas and Catholic schools, are required to show proof they received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by December 20, 2021. At this time there is no vaccine mandate for students attending private schools.

Learn more on the Private School Vaccine Mandate page.

City Workers

To learn about mandates for City government workers, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and City Workers page.

Healthcare Workers

In New York State, all healthcare workers. including staff at hospitals and long-term care facilities that are public or private, were required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as of September 27, 2021.

These facilities include:

Adult care
Hospitals
Nursing homes
Other congregate care settings

The State Department of Health requires these facilities to develop and implement a policy mandating employee vaccination, with limited exceptions for those with religious or medical reasons.

You should contact your employer’s human resources department for more information.

Office of Mental Health and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities

Staff were required to show proof of at least the first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine series as of November 1, 2021. There is no test-out option.

State Court System

All NY State court system workers were required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or be tested weekly for COVID-19 as of September 1, 2021.

Learn more about the vaccine mandate.

You can report businesses for failure to check vaccination status of employees.

Complaints are NOT accepted about:

Residential and office buildings.
Dining where food is consumed offsite or outdoors only. For example, fast food and quick service facilities with no indoor dining.
Anyone entering for a minimum amount of time required for a limited purpose will not have to show proof of vaccination. For example, entering to use the bathroom or picking up or placing an order.

Report a business not checking employee proof of vaccination.

The following are acceptable as proof of COVID-19 vaccination:

CDC Vaccination Card (or photo)
NYC Vaccination Record
Excelsior Pass App
- Android
- iOS
NYC COVID Safe App
- Android
- iOS
An official immunization record from outside NYC or the U.S

If you received the vaccine outside the U.S., you must have an official immunization record that includes:

First name and last name
Date of birth
Vaccine product name (only vaccines authorized by the WHO are acceptable)
Date(s) administered
Site where the vaccine was administered, or name of the person who administered it

To learn more about accepted forms of proof, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Record page.

When implementing this new rule, business owners:

Cannot treat customers or employees differently because of any characteristic protected by the NYC Human Rights Law, including:
- Race
- National origin
- Disability
- Gender
- Religion/Creed
- Age
Must provide reasonable accommodations to customers who need them because of a disability.
Must provide reasonable accommodations to employees who require them because of any of the following:
- Disability
- Pregnancy/Lactation
- Religious belief
- Status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sex offenses

However, the business does not have to provide a reasonable accommodation if doing so would create a direct threat to other customers or employees of the business or impose an undue hardship on the business.

Learn more about implementing the new rule fairly.

Learn more about customer and employee rights.

Report Discrimination

If you believe you have been a victim of discrimination or if a business has denied a reasonable accommodation, you can make a complaint:

Online

Submit an inquiry about discrimination.

By Phone