The push to get vaccinated continues with a potential announcement from President Joe Biden on Thursday that would directly impact federal employees.
President Biden was expected to lay out his next steps to get more people vaccinated as the delta variant continues to be a threat along with new guidelines for federal workers and contractors that would require them to share their vaccination status.
Those who choose not to get vaccinated wouldn't be let go but will have to wear a mask and undergo regular testing. However, none of this is expected to be imposed on the U.S. military.
Rep. Ritchie Torres tells News 12 the expected new mandate would be a game changer.
"It's the most effective tool that we have for containing the virus. Voluntary vaccinations can take you only but so far. And we've gotten as far as we could with voluntary vaccinations. We have no choice to mandate vaccinations in order to achieve population immunity," says Torres.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis called for an end to the mixed messages that she says state, federal and medical officials are putting out.
"I don't understand why we're having these mixed messages coming out, and also forcing the vaccine on individuals. I believe that vaccination rates would be higher if we didn't have all this mixed messaging," she said.
This on the heels of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's announcement that all state employees must get vaccinated by Labor Day or undergo weekly testing. The Senate is also implementing those same protocols and the New York state court system requiring their employees to do so as well.
The White House has already asked all federal agencies to require masks indoors in areas where with a substantial or high transmission rate of COVID-19. The CDC says right now that's more than 75% of the country.