The vaccination requirement was initially put in place by former Mayor Bill de Blasio in December of 2021 to help combat the pandemic, and mandated - with certain limited exceptions - that all New York City private sector employees working in-person with others or interacting with the public show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Included in that group were of course property managers, building employees, contractors and on-site work crews. 

Beginning on November 1, vaccine mandates will be optional for private sector employers and their staff members - though in his announcement Mayor Adams did encourage employers and staff alike to get the jab and stay up to date with boosters as we head into fall and winter, when COVID infection rates are likely to rise. 

According to a September 21 client brief from attorneys at New York City-based law firm Herrick Feinstein LLP regarding the rollback, “In light of this development, employers should re-evaluate current vaccine policies (including those in handbooks, manuals, and job postings) to take this change into account, with an effective date of November 1, 2022, while continuing to enforce the private-sector workplace vaccination requirement until then.”