Message from DCAS, updated August 3.
As we continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, additional steps are being taken to protect the health and safety of City employees and the people we serve. The following protocols are now in place:
- Employees who wish to remove their mask in the workplace (indoors and outdoors) must provide proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Limitations still apply in certain settings – please see the full policy (linked below) for details. On August 2, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio strongly recommended that all New Yorkers wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
- Proof of being fully vaccinated may be provided to Human Resources in person or by emailing a digital copy to humanresources@dcas.nyc.gov. Acceptable proof of being vaccinated:
- An official CDC or other government-issued card bearing the employee’s name and date(s) of vaccine administration;
- An Excelsior Pass issued by the State of New York (App available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store);
- An image of an official CDC card bearing the employee’s name and date(s) of vaccine administration displayed in the NYC COVID Safe App. (App available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store).
Note: If an employee previously submitted a vaccine card to Payroll and Timekeeping to receive comp time, HR will contact that employee about whether they want that information to also be used for the workplace mask policy.
- Human Resources will provide designated supervisors with the names of employees who have not submitted proof of vaccination. These supervisors must notify Human Resources when an employee who has not submitted proof of vaccination removes their mask in the workplace. Human Resources and supervisors must protect the privacy and security of such information in accordance with applicable law and City policy.
Please see Commissioner’s Directive No 2020-1 (updated 8/2/21) for additional details.
The spread of the delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 makes being unvaccinated more dangerous. Fortunately, it has never been easier to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in NYC. People 12 and older can now go to vaccination sites citywide without an appointment. A fully vaccinated person is much less likely to get sick or spread the virus that causes COVID-19.
We strongly encourage all employees to get vaccinated and you can get vaccinated today. You can even receive up to four hours of excused leave for travel during scheduled work hours for each administration of the vaccine. Eligible employees can also receive three hours of comp time after they are fully vaccinated.
If you want to learn more about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, check out this helpful information from the CDC.
If you have any question about the new mask policy, please read the Commissioner’s Directive (updated 8/2/21) or contact Human Resources (HumanResources@dcas.nyc.gov).