New York City is requiring all of its municipal workers to get vaccinated and will remove the option for frequent testing.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the new mandate Wednesday, meaning approximately 46,000 workers will need to get their first dose by October 29 or risk losing their jobs. The new rule covers 160,500 workers, of whom 71 percent are either partially or fully vaccinated, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The city is joining a group of state and local governments that already have a similar mandate in place. Employees who refuse to get vaccinated will be placed on unpaid leave and City Hall officials plan to finalize plans with labor unions about what would happen next.
Because the city has been struggling with staff levels at the Riker Island jail complex, New York City’s roughly 8,000 correction officers will need to get vaccinated by a later date - December 1.
“City workers have been a daily inspiration,” de Blasio said in a statement. “Now is the time for them to show their city the path out of this pandemic once and for all.”
