RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A mandate that most of Virginia’s state workers will have to be vaccinated or agree to regular COVID-19 testing is taking effect.
Gov. Ralph Northam’s order kicks in Wednesday and will apply to more than 120,000 executive branch employees.
The Democratic governor issued the directive earlier in August as the delta variant drove a national surge in COVID-19 cases. Most have involved unvaccinated people.
The nation’s only doctor-governor said in August that the nation's three vaccines are safe and widely available.
Virginia joins other states that have already taken similar measures. They include California, New York and North Carolina.
Northam’s order will require unvaccinated workers to show proof of negative tests weekly.
