Vaccine Mandate For Many New York Workers Blocked By Judges

Many New Yorkers can keep their jobs and won't be required to get a COVID vaccine. For now.

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On Tuesday, a New York federal judge issued a temporary restraining order regarding vaccine mandates for medical workers. Judge David Hurd in Utica ruled that the vaccine mandate can't be forced on health care workers who want to obtain a religious exemption.

A lawsuit by 17 medical workers claimed their rights were being violated by a vaccine mandate with no exemptions.

"The same front line health care workers hailed as heroes by the media for treating COVID patients before vaccines were available, including the Plaintiffs herein, are now vilified by the same media as pariahs who must be excluded from society until they are vaccinated against their will," the lawsuit states, according to ABC. "(COVID vaccines) violate their religiously beliefs, are clearly not as effective as promised, and have known and increasing evident risks of severe and even life-threatening side effects."

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New York State recently mandated all health care workers must be vaccinated by Sept. 27. Judge Hurd ruled New York State has until Sept. 22 to respond to his ruling.

Gov. Kathy Hochul's press secretary said the state is looking into all legal options.

“Governor Hochul is doing everything in her power to protect New Yorkers and combat the Delta variant by increasing vaccine rates across the State. Requiring vaccination of health care workers is critical to this battle,” Hazel Crampton-Hays said.

Hours later, a New York State judge temporarily blocked New York City from requiring education workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Judge Laurence L. Love announced unions on both sides can argue in court on Sept. 22.

"While we do believe our members should get the vaccine, we do not believe it should be a condition of employment,” Executive Director of District Council 37 Henry Garrido told the New York Post. "Clearly, the courts agree. The fight is not over, but we are energized by this decision and ready to keep going on behalf of our members."

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

Gallery Credit: Elena Kadvany

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Hudson Valley Says Goodbye To Over 70 Businesses

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LOOK: Here Are the 25 Best Places to Live in New York State

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in New York using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.