Should COVID-19 vaccinations be mandatory?

Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, who represents the West Side of Manhattan, is proposing a law requiring COVID-19 vaccines if not enough people are voluntarily getting them.

News 12 Staff

Dec 9, 2020, 7:54 PM

Updated 1,403 days ago

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A controversial new proposed law in the New York Assembly could make the COVID-19 vaccination mandatory if approved.
Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, who represents the West Side of Manhattan, is proposing a law requiring COVID-19 vaccines if not enough people are voluntarily getting them.
The bill suggests it would be necessary to mandate the vaccine to get sufficient immunity. While the bill doesn't define "sufficient immunity," Dr. Anthony Fauci has set the bar at 75% of the population.
The bill does allow a doctor to provide someone an exemption from taking the shots but is receiving public pushback already. 
People who spoke with News 12 say they are nervous about this kind of legislation.
"I know a lot of people right now don't trust it until someone takes it and that we can see you know, what can it do," says Rousseau Pointdujour, of Stanford, CT. 
"I'm not a huge fan of that, I think it's everyone's choice. It's important that we get vaccinated, but I don't think there should be any mandate on that," says Joe Manfredo, of Ardsley.
New York already mandates some vaccines to attend school and only allows for medical exemptions, including Polio, Hep B, Chicken Pox and Measles, Mumps and Rubella.
Rosenthal has also proposed a bill allowing all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, to receive a free vaccine. Both  are in the Assembly Health Committee.
To counter this proposal, a Republican Assemblyman in upstate New York is pushing a bill
 prohibiting mandatory vaccinations against the coronavirus, which is also before the Assembly Health Committee.