Cuomo says New York public colleges will require students to get vaccines
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference. | Spencer Platt/AP Photo
By MICHELLE BOCANEGRA and SHANNON YOUNG
POLITICO
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that the State University of New York and the City University of New York will require Covid-19 vaccinations for students returning this fall, assuming the federal government gives full approval to the vaccines.
“If you must have a vaccine, get it now if you have to get it anyway,” Cuomo said. “I also encourage private schools to do the same thing. Let’s make a global statement — you cannot go back to school in September unless you have a vaccine. That will be a major motivation to get the vaccine.”
Cuomo added that the requirement would be contingent on standard approval of the vaccine, which is being distributed under emergency authorization from the federal government. Pfizer and BioNTech, which is being distributed under an emergency provision for ages 16 and over, asked for full Food and Drug Administration approval on Friday.
“They would have to give it full approval before September, otherwise SUNY, CUNY could not mandate. If it doesn’t have the full approval, you cannot legally mandate … we believe they will do that in the near future,” he said.
About 394,000 undergrads and graduate students are enrolled in the SUNY system. CUNY serves about 274,000 students on campuses in all five New York City boroughs.
Some New York schools, including prominent private schools like Cornell University and New York University, already require Covid vaccinations for returning students this fall, with exemptions for medical and religious reasons.
The two state university systems in California have issued a similar mandate, although it also covers faculty and staff.
Context: The move comes as the state is hoping to improve vaccination rates among young people. SUNY, which spans 64 campuses across New York, had been trying to get all students on campus inoculated by this summer.
That goal was upended by the temporary pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last month, a day after the state announced an allocation of 21,000 doses to the school system. Despite this, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said that the system would still forge ahead with its goal while making adjustments to account for the added complications, though he said at the time officials wouldn’t consider a vaccine mandate until early this summer.
The push to require vaccines at public colleges and universities has also been gaining steam in recent weeks, particularly in the New York Legislature. Sen. Brad Hoylman introduced a bill that would add the Covid-19 vaccine to other required doses for private and public college students in New York, a development first reported by POLITICO last week. It would also go into effect after the vaccine’s standard approval.
Cuomo did not explicitly note medical or religious exemptions for the planned SUNY and CUNY mandate, as other colleges have done in the rollout of their respective vaccination requirements. He said he would propose legislation “that says you can’t discriminate against a person who has a vaccine.”
In other news: In a series of other developments from the governor’s press conference, Cuomo also announced that New York is “waiving the residency requirement on vaccines.”
“Anyone from out of state can get a vaccine in New York,” he said at the news conference. “So if you’re a tourist, and you come to New York, we’ll give you a vaccine.” The announcement came just days after New York City unveiled plans to begin vaccinating tourists.
Cuomo also announced that eight Metropolitan Transportation Authority sites will be offering Johnson & Johnson vaccines from Wednesday through Sunday. People who get inoculated at the pop-up sites will be able to claim a seven-day MetroCard or two Long Island Rail Road or Metro North one-way tickets, free of charge.