California to require vaccinations for state, healthcare workers

Takes effect in September

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY/CNN) - California will require state employees and all health care workers to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly, tightening restrictions in an effort to slow rising coronavirus infections in the nation's most populous state, mostly among the unvaccinated.

The new rule will take effect next month, officials announced Monday. There are at least 238,000 state employees, according to the California controller's office, and at least 2 million health care workers in the public and private sectors.

Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed, "But as it relates to leading by example, 246,000 Californians are state employees. 246,000 Californians should be vaccinated and if they're not vaccinated and cannot verify that they've been vaccinated, we are requiring that they get tested. California's committed to vaccination, verification and/or testing on a weekly basis. We're not stopping just with state employees, today we are also announcing partnerships that include those like Kaiser, private sector now stepping up, organizations representing physicians, dentists, dialysis clinics stepping up, private sector clinics are committing to the same."

While about 62% of all eligible Californians are fully vaccinated, the state has struggled to make significant progress in recent weeks. Infections and hospitalizations are rising, with the highly contagious delta variant now making up an estimated 80% of cases in California, though the growing numbers are still far below where they were during the winter peak.

"We may be the first state at scale to not only require it for all state employees but to engage in public-private partnership with our healthcare facilities in the state," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in announcing the new policy.

Despite the change for state workers and increasing infections, the Democratic governor has been hesitant to impose new requirements on mask-wearing or social distancing since he allowed the state to reopen on June 15.

It comes as Newsom faces a recall election in September that's largely over his handling of the pandemic, with California having been the first to impose a statewide stay-at-home order last year and business and school shutdowns lasting longer than many other states.