Federal vaccine mandate could impact hundreds of Rochester employers

Rochester, New York – On Thursday President Joe Biden announced there will be a sweeping federal vaccine mandate.

The vaccine mandate would require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or possibly risk losing their jobs.

It is estimated to affect over 100 million Americans, including hundreds of companies across Rochester.

According to president Biden, a plan ordering all businesses with 100 employees or more to either require proof of vaccination or be tested weekly.

Since the announcement, Bob Duffy with the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce has been handling a lot of calls from local companies with many questions.

“A lot of it has been conjecture. We haven’t seen a lot in writing so that’s causing confusion and questions,” he says.

Duffy also believes there is too much pressure being placed on businesses and that it should be the individual’s choice whether or not to get vaccinated.

“I’d like to see much more of a pressure put on individuals than on this than just on a business,” he says.

A representative for Tops Markets sent this statement:

Tops continue to follow the Hero Act requirements to ensure the safety of our associates and customers which has been and will always remain a top priority. At this time, President Biden’s ideas remain a proposal. Until it becomes an official governmental mandate, we will continue to monitor the guidance and comply accordingly.

L3Harris Technologies also sent the following comment:

We’re reviewing the administration’s new mandate to fully understand what it means for our U.S. workforce. Once that review is complete, we’ll determine necessary changes and modify our policies accordingly to comply. We’ve applied many layers of safety at our facilities and will continue to strongly encourage all employees to vaccinate as soon as possible.

Though this mandate would not affect them, Rochester’s City Communications Director sent this statement regarding the COVID-19 vaccine mandate announcement:

The City continues to help vaccinate our residents and do all we can to encourage everyone to protect themselves, our community, and their circle by getting the proven safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. The administration will work with its senior management team, human resources department, and the leadership of our employee unions to evaluate and implement President’s Biden’s mandate. We will share more details after we have time to deliberate on how to best move forward.