New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, has announced that a new vaccine mandate will be issued, requiring all municipal employees to get vaccinated against the Covid19 virus by October 29. The announcement does not come as a shock, as the previous vaccine mandate issued for New York City workers required the Department of Education staff and city health workers to get vaccinated.
The New vaccine mandate will come into effect at the end of October
According to the media reports, the new vaccine mandate will require all municipal workers to get vaccinated against Covid-19, including firefighters and police officers. Around 300,000 city workers would need to present proof of vaccination by December 1, 2021, without counting employees who had to get vaccinated under the previous vaccine mandate.
What will happen to unvaccinated municipal workers in New York City?
Unvaccinated municipal workers are under unpaid leave until they get vaccinated. The new vaccine mandate is meant to raise the percentage of vaccinated city employees, especially among firefighters and police officers. Many protesters took over Times Square last weekend to protest against vaccine mandates and demand freedom. Some protesters had clothes and signs with the message: ‘My Body, My Choice’.
Police Commissioner offers his support to Mayor de Blasio
Mayor de Blasio is not the only one in New York City who believes vaccines mandate are a way of protecting and saving the lives of Americans. Dermont Shea, Police Commissioner for the NYPD, expressed his approval back in August after the FDA gave full approval to the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
Many authorities have issued vaccine mandates across the U.S after the FDA has fully approved one of the three available Covid-19 vaccines. The U.S is not the only country with a surge in daily new cases due to the Delta variant. As long as the vaccination campaigns worldwide continue slower than the desired pace, the virus will mutate and evolve.