NEW YORK (WETM) – New York residents are now eligible for paid time off for time spent to get the COVID-19 vaccine during their work day.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently signed legislation allowing public and private employees up to four hours of paid time off per COVID-19 vaccine shot. This paid time off will not be charged against any other leave the employee has earned or accrued, and the legislation takes effect immediately.
“Our essential employees have been on the front lines of this pandemic since day one, and as we begin to work toward a new normal in a post-pandemic world, it is critical that these employees are able to get vaccinated as quickly as possible to protect themselves and their families,” Gov. Cuomo said. “This legislation will allow both public and private employees to take time off to get vaccinated without exhausting the leave they have earned, putting us one step closer to getting every single New Yorker vaccinated and defeating this virus once and for all.”
New York residents can check their eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine by visiting the Am I Eligible website and checking state-run mass vaccination site availability. Questions can also be directed to local health departments regarding local clinics.
To date, New York has administered 6,264,136 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
