Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday that New York has designated COVID-19 an airborne infectious disease, enabling the state to enforce recently adopted workplace safety standards to control the virus’ spread.
The New York Health and Essential Rights, or HERO Act, was signed by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in May. It requires all employers to implement safety plans in the workplace as protection against an airborne infectious disease. The state’s health commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, classified COVID-19 as such Monday.
Maritza Silva-Farrell, executive director of ALIGN, a Manhattan-based labor advocacy group, said: "This is how we support the essential workers who contribute so much to our state."
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