FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2021
The following statement is from Assemblymember Michael Reilly (R-Staten Island) on today’s announcement from Governor Cuomo that all SUNY and CUNY students would be required to have received the COVID-19 vaccine if they wish to return to school in the fall…
“Today’s announcement that the state will require all SUNY and CUNY students to have the COVID-19 vaccine if they wish to return for in-person classes later this fall is something that truly terrifies me as a parent. Not only does the Governor establishing this mandate unilaterally, without input from the State Legislature, set a dangerous precedent, it also flies in the face of “follow the science,” since no brand of the vaccine has been approved by the federal government yet.
I believe that it should be an individual’s choice as to whether they want to receive the vaccine, and, to be clear, I do not support mandating this vaccine when we know so little about the long-term effects it may have on young adults, primarily on young women.
If the Governor is so concerned about addressing the public’s hesitation to take this vaccine, then let’s start by toning down the confusing and often fear-mongering rhetoric that politicians, including the Governor himself, have used so frequently throughout the pandemic and in relation to this vaccine.”