Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp is just one of many large businesses across the nation that will require all employees to be fully vaccinated by early next year.

“Since the start of the pandemic, Central Hudson has monitored and closely adhered to federal, state and local guidelines,” said Joe Jenkins, associate director of media relations at Central Hudson. “We await further guidance on vaccine requirements and will adhere to the law as it is implemented.”

On November 4, the White House announced that the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will require all workers from businesses with over 100 employees to be fully vaccinated by January 4, 2022. The mandate will reach 84 million workers across the country and override any state or local laws that prohibit vaccine mandates from employers, according to the announcement. With 1,100 employees in total, according to Jenkins, Central Hudson meets the “large business” definition by a long shot.

Although Central Hudson does not already have a mandate in place, the company claims it has made efforts to foster a safe work environment throughout the pandemic. Jenkins explained that the company has encouraged its workforce to get vaccinated and followed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) mask-wearing guidelines, which suggest that vaccinated and unvaccinated folks alike wear masks while indoors. However, like many workplaces, not all employees are fully vaccinated. In the meantime, Central Hudson is following OSHA’s “emergency temporary standards,” which require employees to be tested for COVID-19 on, at least, a weekly basis, Jenkins explained.

In the meantime Jenkins said that Central Hudson will be examining requests for medical or religious exemptions from the mandate. So far, Jenkins is unsure of the financial impact of the vaccine mandate, but OSHA does require businesses to give employees paid time off in order to get their shots (either Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson brands). Central Hudson expects to retain all of its employees during this process, Jenkins added.

“Central Hudson puts the health and safety of its employees and customers first,” he said. “We continue to take an approach that keeps our employees and the communities we serve sage. As a result, we expect very little change in our procedures and policies as a result of the vaccine mandate.”

Although it was not required to do so, the Women’s Studio Workshop in Rosendale implemented a vaccine mandate for all 40 employees, various visitors, resident artists and students as of November 1. The workshop engages in art education, curates its own art books and hosts resident artists at its campus, along with other creative services. Folks are also asked to wear masks while working in art studios and to check their temperature at the thermometer station located at the front and side doors.

WSW Executive Director Lauren V. Walling explained that high schoolers from the Kingston Central School District will continue courses in the building, since they are required to be vaccinated, but added that the workshop does not work with unvaccinated children. Some folks have decided to quit or deny an artist residency because of the mandate, although the number of people was not shared, Walling said.

“As a nonprofit, we are the recipients of public funds and feel the need to take the most conservative approach,” Walling said. “In addition to serving our local population, we have artists coming from all over the world, so we cannot just gauge the temperature or impact of COVID exclusively on our region.”

On October 7, the White House released a report that detailed the positive economic benefits of the vaccine mandate. The White House claimed that high volumes of COVID-19 cases discourage people from utilizing businesses, especially those with face-to-face interactions. Communities with fewer cases, hospitalizations and deaths make people more comfortable to go outside and act as business patrons. It also creates a safer workplace, which could encourage more people to seek jobs and boost workplace productivity and morale.

Beyond that, the mandate would increase the number of vaccinated U.S. workers by 20 to 25 percent, the report continued. Currently, 75 percent of working age adults are part of the labor force, so a 20 to 25 percent increase could result in between 30 and 38 million new vaccinated citizens. More vaccinations will also help reduce the spread of more contagious variants. The report added that unvaccinated people are more than five times as likely to experience symptomatic COVID-19 cases and over 10 times as likely to be hospitalized because of it.

“The vaccine requirements work and more companies are instituting them,” said President Joe Biden in a press conference with business leaders in September. “It’s about beating this virus and saving lives.”

While there are several legal challenges to the OSHA mandate, these cases are not expected to be resolved before the January 4 cutoff.