New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he expects to see a rise in vaccinations among municipal workers in line with his mandate, telling reporters that the "Human reality" is city employees will decide to get the shot rather than face unpaid leave.
De Blasio made the remarks during an Oct. 28 press conference, on the eve of a looming Oct. 29 deadline for municipal workers to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with no testing opt-out, or face being sent home without pay starting Monday, Nov. 1.
Thousands of municipal workers took to the streets in protests earlier in the week after de Blasio announced a sweeping mandate in the prior week requiring the entire municipal workforce to get vaccinated, with no testing option.
Asked by a reporter at Thursday's press conference whether he was having any second thoughts about the mandate given the likelihood that some police, fire, and sanitation workers would rather quit or go on leave rather than get the shot, the New York mayor replied in the negative.
De Blasio referred to past experience with health care and education workers who were required to get the COVID-19 vaccine by early October.
The rates among first responders are estimated to be lower, with around 65 percent of firefighters and some 80 percent of EMS members vaccinated, according to updated figures de Blasio provided on Thursday.
Asked at Thursday's presser about the prospects for dismissal of those municipal workers who refuse to comply with the mandate, de Blasio said he hoped it wouldn't come to that, but added that this was a possibility.
Sunday, October 31, 2021
De Blasio Says 'Human Reality' Is Workers Will Comply With Vaccine Mandate Rather Than Lose Pay
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