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NY: Ribbon Cutting For Le Pavillon Restaurant At One Vanderbilt Business Center
New York (77WABC) – Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that the “voluntary phase is over” in the effort to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to city workers, stressing possible vaccine mandates.
“We can keep doing those things, I’m not saying shut it down,” de Blasio said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “I’m saying voluntary alone doesn’t work.”
“It’s time for mandates because it’s the only way to protect our people,” he added.
De Blasio announced Monday that all city workers will soon need to get tested weekly if they don’t get a COVID vaccine. The new rules come amid rising concern about the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
Every City government employee will need to show proof of vaccination or a weekly negative #COVID test by September 13.
We’ve been through too much to let our guard down now. New York City is leading the nation in fighting back against the Delta variant. pic.twitter.com/Vr5pB2gD6h
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) July 27, 2021
“We’ve got to shake people at this point and say, ‘Come on now.’ We tried voluntary. We could not have been more kind and compassionate. Free testing, everywhere you turn, incentives, friendly, warm embrace. The voluntary phase is over,” de Blasio said.
Asked if the city will soon require all city workers to be inoculated, de Blasio said he’s heading in that direction.
“But if that’s not enough, I think we got to be ready to climb the ladder more,” de Blasio said. “We’ve got to put pressure on this situation.”
