You are reading

All City Employees Must Be Vaccinated for COVID-19 Under New Mandate

COVID-19 Vaccine (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Oct. 20, 2021 By Allie Griffin

All city workers must get vaccinated for COVID-19 or face unpaid leave under a new mandate Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday.

The mandate requires city employees — including police officers, firefighters and sanitation workers — to get at least one dose by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29. It heightens a previous measure in which city workers were required to show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing.

“It’s a mandate now for all city agencies — all city workers,” de Blasio said on MSNBC Wednesday morning. “It’s time for everyone to get vaccinated. Our public employees are going to lead us out of the COVID era.”

Workers who get their first shot at a city-run vaccination site by that Friday at 5 p.m. will receive an extra $500 in their paycheck. Workers who don’t get one dose by then will be placed on unpaid leave until they show proof of vaccination to their supervisor.

After workers submit proof of their first dose of vaccination, they will have 45 days to submit proof of their second dose if they received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.

There are about 300,000 city workers across a number of agencies. Nearly half — made up of Department of Education staff and city hospital workers — have already been required to get the shot under a prior mandate that went into effect in late September.

The new mandate applies to the remaining 160,500 city workers. Of those workers, about 71 percent have already received at least one dose and roughly 46,000 workers have yet to get the shot, according to the mayor’s office.

De Blasio decided to expand the vaccine requirement to all city employees after the mandate for DOE and city hospital staffers proved successful. About 96 percent of DOE staff and 95 percent of public hospital staff have gotten at least one shot, according to data provided by the mayor’s office.

Vaccination rates among other groups of workers remain lower.

The Department of Corrections has the lowest vaccinate rate at just 50 percent of staffers having received at least one dose as of last week, the New York Times reported. The fire department, emergency medical services and sanitation department each have a vaccination rate of about 60 percent and the NYPD is at 69 percent, according to the Times.

The new mandate applies to the DOC employees as well, but uniformed correction officers have until Dec.1 to get their first shot. The city is providing the extra time due to the ongoing staffing shortage at Rikers Island, de Blasio said.

The city will allow religious and medical exemptions from the mandate on a case-by-case basis, the mayor said.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Miya Hair: A testament to love, resilience, and success

Apr. 26, 2024 By Tracey Khan

For Candacy Benjamin, the path to success has been paved with determination, challenges, and unwavering dedication. Originally hailing from Guyana, Benjamin’s journey as a hairstylist began with humble beginnings but has since blossomed into a thriving career in the bustling city of New York.

Jamaica school crossing guard accused of attempted rape after undercover investigation: DA

A school crossing guard from Jamaica was criminally charged with attempted rape, attempted use of a child in a sexual performance and other sex-related crimes after he allegedly tried to lure an undercover NYPD officer he believed to be 14 years old to participate in a sex act.

Jared Jeridore, 24, of Sutphin Boulevard, was arraigned Wednesday in Queens Criminal Court on a seven-count criminal complaint that also included counts of attempted dissemination of indecent material to minors, attempted endangering the welfare of a child and official misconduct.

Three attackers sought for stabbing 20-year-old man after bumping into one of them at a Queens Village autobody shop: NYPD

Police are looking for three suspects who allegedly beat and stabbed a 20-year-old man inside a Queens Village auto body shop earlier this month, leaving him seriously injured.

The incident occurred on Sunday, Apr. 7, when the victim was inside the autobody shop, located at 210-08 Jamaica Ave., and was bumped by a stranger. Police from the 105th Precinct in Queens Village reported that the victim and stranger then got into a verbal dispute, which escalated into a physical altercation.