With the delta variant surging, a growing number of businesses across the country have begun announcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employees.

Aroogas Grille House and Sports Bar in Patchogue is one of the first on Long Island to implement such a mandate.

Owner Joseph Alagna, who also owns a financial brokerage firm in Uniondale, informed his employees last week that they will need to be vaccinated within 60 days of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration giving final approval to COVID-19 vaccines.

Alagna says the only exceptions are those with religious and medical grounds.

He says he decided to put the mandate into effect to protect his workers against the delta variant and it eliminates the need to police compliance with mask guidelines.

"This is a very, very tough decision, but I have to do what's best for the whole, and I'd rather have an employee upset with me or mad at me, but I want to have all my employees alive and safe," Alagna says.

Other companies on Long Island that have issued vaccine mandates include Northwell Health and Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital.

But what if a worker refuses to comply with the mandate and threatens to sue?

Legal experts say the law is on the employer's side.

"It's absolutely legal. Being unvaccinated is not a protected class. The only time you can do something is if an employer is doing something because of a membership in a protected class like race, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation. Being unvaccinated is not, so an employer can require it," says Jon Bell, of the Bell Law Group.

The FDA's final approval of COVID-19 vaccines is expected by early fall.