NY State's Health Guidance
As of June 15, 2021, the State's health guidance and New York Forward industry-specific guidelines—including social gathering limits, capacity restrictions, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing—are now lifted for most businesses and other commercial settings.
To learn more about NY State's health guidance, visit the business section of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health and Safety page.
Vaccine Mandates
Private Businesses
The Key to NYC program requires employees and customers 5 and older to prove they are vaccinated before entering businesses conducting the following activities:
- Indoor dining
- Indoor fitness
- Indoor entertainment
Learn more by visiting the following pages:
In addition, all employees at all other private businesses in New York City 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.
Employees can apply for a reasonable accommodation. Requests must be 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.
