© 2026 ABC News

The NYPD had a 43% vaccination rate, the Department of Correction had a 42% vaccination rate, the FDNY had a 55% vaccination rate, and public school employees and city hospital employees each had a 60% vaccination rate, according to data from city officials. Nationally, 56% of all residents and 69% of all adults have at least one shot, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The testing mandate will go into effect for unvaccinated public hospital workers next week, and goes into effect on Sept. 13, the first day of schools in New York, for other public employees.

De Blasio stressed that the delta variant is causing cases to rise in unvaccinated neighborhoods in the city and he wanted to ensure New Yorkers that their public employees were vaccinated or proven safe.

\"PHOTO:
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: New York Mayor Bill De Blasio waves during a "Hometown Heroes ticker tape parade" honoring frontline workers of the COVID-19 pandemic, in Manhattan, New York, July 7, 2021.
>

\"We're going to keep climbing this ladder and adding additional measures as needed mandates and strong measures, whenever needed to fight the delta variant,\" the mayor said during a news conference Monday.

A few hours later, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he would place a similar testing mandate for any state employee who can't provide proof of vaccination. The mandate affects 249,000 employees and also provides exemptions for religious or medical reasons.

\"California has committed to vaccination verification and or testing on a weekly basis,\" Newsom said at a news conference.

\"PHOTO:
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
PHOTO: California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at a news conference at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, Los Angeles, June 15, 2021.
>

California's policy will take effect on Aug. 9.

Mathema said the policy will be most effective at swaying unvaccinated employees who were on the fence about getting the shot and needed an incentive to do so.

In this case, time spent on taking a COVID-19 test, submitting the paperwork to a boss and getting their OK week after week would take its toll, Mathema said.

\"There will certainly be some people who find the constant testing inconvenient,\" he said.

\"PHOTO:
Steve Pfost/Newsday via Getty Images
PHOTO: Jayson Molina Majano, 17, receives a Covid-19 vaccine at Freeport High School on July 15, 2021 in Freeport, N.Y.
>

Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor, said the testing requirement will put extra pressure on an unvaccinated employee to get their shot.

\"They’ll have to quarantine and put themselves out of two weeks of work,\" he said.

Brownstein predicted that more states will follow New York City and California's lead and there appears to be momentum at the federal level. President Joe Biden is expected to announce Thursday that all federal employees show proof of vaccination or submit to regular testing, ABC News has learned.

Brownstein added that some businesses have begun to implement rules that provide more benefits for customers. Some cruise ships, he noted, restrict their non-vaccinated passengers from the more popular dining areas and attractions.

\"It’s a hybrid carrot and stick situation. You’re giving benefits to people who are vaccinated and punishing people who aren't,\" he said.

Mathema warned that there are likely to be a number of public employees who will submit to the weekly testing rather than get their shots. He reiterated that elected officials and businesses that implement a testing mandate for the unvaccinated needed to supplement their policy with a focused educational plan.

\"PHOTO:
Braulio Jatar/Sopa Images/Sipa USA via AP, FILE
PHOTO: A doctor puts a face mask on before entering the coronavirus testing test area outside of Brooklyn Hospital on April 2, 2020 in New York City.
>

\"I do believe this needs to be met with outreach, strong outreach and consistent outreach,\" Mathema said. \"We do need to be tactful, show empathy and address real issues that are out there: people's concerns over the vaccine.\"

Anyone who needs help scheduling a free vaccine appointment can log onto vaccines.gov.

ABC News' Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.

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