© Anthony Behar
NY: Schumer Announces $860M FEMA Payment To NYC Public Hospitals For Covid Expenses
NEW YORK (77WABC) — Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that New York City will now require police officers, firefighters and other city workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be placed on unpaid leave.
.@NYCMayor announces vaccine mandate for New York City workers.
Read more: pic.twitter.com/EoScxvAXd9
— City of New York (@nycgov) October 20, 2021
“There is no greater privilege than serving the people of New York City, and that privilege comes with a responsibility to keep yourself and your community safe,” de Blasio said in a statement. “We have led the way against COVID-19 – from fighting for the right to vaccinate frontline workers, to providing nation-leading incentives, to creating the Key to NYC mandate. As we continue our recovery for all of us, city workers have been a daily inspiration.”
“Now is the time for them to show their city the path out of this pandemic once and for all,” he added.
According to de Blasio, the mandate has a deadline of Nov. 1 for workers to get the first vaccine dose. Department of Corrections officers staffed on Rikers Island will be subject to the mandate on Dec. 1 amid the staffing issues on the island lockup.
According to the city data, over 70% have already received at least one dose of the vaccine.
City workers who get their first shot by Oct. 29 at a city-run vaccination site will get an extra $500 in their paycheck, the mayor’s said. Workers who don’t show proof of vaccination by Oct. 29 will be placed on leave.
