PEF to Cuomo: Install COVID-blocking air filters for all state workers

ALBANY — One of the state's largest public labor unions is calling on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to require buildings that house state workers to meet the same air-filtration standards that the governor recently said he will impose on large malls and potentially other private-sector businesses.

The Public Employees Federation (PEF) this week called on the Governor's Office of Employee Relations to mandate the installation of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to protect employees returning to offices as New York reemerges from a months-long “pause” on business operations to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“If New York state is mandating or recommending these filters for large public spaces, businesses and offices, then New York state should follow its own recommendations and ensure adequate air filtration for its own workers,” PEF President Wayne Spence said in a news release. “You must lead by example, and this is an opportunity for the governor to do that.”

Cuomo last week said large malls would be required to install HEPA filters before they could reopen.

Read more: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/PEF-calls-on-Cuomo-to-install-COVID-blocking-air-15390949.php