New York will mandate COVID-19 vaccines or weekly testing for state workers Daily Orange File Photo New York state employees and patient-facing health care workers at state-run hospitals and facilities will be required to get vaccinated by Labor Day or take mandatory COVID-19 tests each week. Facebook Subscribe to our newsletter here. New York state employees will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or perform weekly testing for the virus. Approximately 130,000 state employees will be required to get vaccinated by Labor Day or take mandatory COVID-19 tests each week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. “New Yorkers have displayed tremendous dedication and resilience to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic across the state, but vaccination rates aren’t keeping pace with the Delta variant and we need to act now,” Cuomo said.