Mayor Adams ends COVID vaccination mandate for New York workers

Mayor Adams announced on Monday that he is rescinding the city government’s long-standing mandate for a coronavirus vaccine and has opened the door to rehiring hundreds of city workers fired for refusing to comply with public health rules.

The mandate, which since November 2021 has required all municipal workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, will officially end this Friday after the city health board ratifies the move, Adams said in a statement. This means proof of vaccination will no longer be a condition of employment for current and potential city workers, ending one of the city’s latest COVID restrictions.

Adams said a major change in pandemic policy is warranted because 96% of the city’s more than 300,000 municipal employees are now fully vaccinated.

“Now is the right time to make that decision,” Adams said. “I continue to encourage every New Yorker to get vaccinated, get a booster, and take the necessary steps to protect themselves and those around them from COVID-19.”

Since the municipal mandate went into effect, about 1,780 city workers have been fired for violating it, according to Adams’ office. Nearly half of the laid-off workers are believed to be employees of the Department of Education, including NYPD officers and FDNY firefighters.

While unvaccinated former workers will not automatically return to their jobs after the mandate expires, Adams’ office said they will be able to apply for their old positions “subject to existing city rules and regulations and recruitment processes.”

Mayor Eric Adams

In addition to lifting the labor rule, Adams said the city will no longer require proof of vaccination for public school attendees, including parents.

Republicans praised Adams for turning off the vaccination mandate, which was first implemented by former mayor Bill de Blasio.

“This news will come as an incredible relief to thousands of city workers and their families, as well as parents and guardians who have been banned from attending school events for their children,” six city council Republicans said in a statement signed by two moderate Democrats in the House, Kalman Yeager. from Brooklyn and Robert Holden from Queens.

“Much remains to be done for those workers who were unfairly fired for personal medical choices, but this is a huge step towards correcting the previous administration’s misguided pandemic policies.”

A group of New York city employees march in Brooklyn to protest the city's vaccination ban on February 7, 2022.

In September, Adams abandoned the city’s private sector vaccination mandate, which was also pioneered by de Blasio but was largely ignored by the Adams administration.

At the time, opponents of the municipal mandate questioned why Adams let private sector workers off the hook while maintaining a demand for the public sector. Ahead of Monday’s announcement, Republicans and public sector union representatives lobbied the Adams administration for months to end the municipal mandate.

The municipal rule was one of the city’s last remaining COVID-19 restrictions, as Adams last year lifted vaccine and mask requirements for restaurants, shops, gyms and other establishments. He has consistently argued that relaxing pandemic precautions is key to the city’s economic recovery.

Dr. Ashwin Wasan, Adams’ health commissioner, said on Monday that the city’s various COVID vaccine prescriptions have “saved lives and were absolutely needed at this time.”

“We are grateful that now that we are out of the emergency phase of the pandemic, we can change more of the rules that brought us to this point,” Vasan added.

New York Daily News front page October 29, 2021: City faces crisis as FDNY, NYPD and Sanit crews set to shut down.  A crowd of city workers protest the vaccination mandate Thursday outside Gracie's mansion, a day before those who failed to get vaccinated were to be placed on unpaid leave.

But some public health experts have questioned the notion that the city’s COVID “emergency” is in the shadows.

In New York, an average of 13 people still die from COVID-19 every day, according to the Department of Health. The data also shows that an average of 84 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 every day, and more than 1,600 new infections are detected daily.

Meanwhile, vaccination rates in the city have largely stabilized. The data shows that only 14% of New Yorkers received booster shots.

“What I fear most is that adult vaccination rates will drop much faster over time, leading to more New Yorkers infected, hospitalized, and dying from COVID-19,” said Dr. Jay Varma, an epidemiologist who was senior executive Blasio. a pandemic adviser at city hall, said about canceling Adams’ mandate. “When the city lifts its mandate, it will be followed by private sector employers and possibly higher education institutions.”

“Absolutely yes,” Varma added when asked if he thought Adams was wrong to terminate the mandate.

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Council Health Committee Chair Lynn Shulman, both Democrats, did not criticize the mayor for revoking the municipal mandate, but said the administration has “more work to do” when it comes to raising vaccination rates.

“Only 14% received the bivalent dose, which shows us that we still have a lot to do as a city to raise awareness and access to updated vaccine shots,” the speaker and Shulman said in a statement. “The way forward that has protected us has been to listen to our public health professionals, and we encourage all New Yorkers to continue to follow this health guidance: get fully vaccinated, get a booster shot, wear a mask, and get tested. when it is necessary. ”

The municipal mandate was the subject of litigation for several months.

In October, a state island judge ruled that the city must reinstate — with debt paid — a group of Sanitation Department workers who were fired for refusing to receive COVID vaccinations in violation of the mandate.

In issuing the order, Judge Ralph Porcio cited Adams’ “arbitrary and capricious” decision to apply different rules for private and public sector workers.

“We are dealing with the same unvaccinated people treated differently by the same administrative agency,” Porcio wrote in the ruling.

The administration is in the process of appealing Porzio’s decision. A spokesman for Adams said the administration will not withdraw that appeal or drop any other litigation related to the vaccination mandate, despite Monday’s announcement.

“The City will continue to hear appeals on matters relating to employees who were terminated and then reinstated as important legitimate interests are at stake,” the spokesman said. “The City must protect its ability to both mandate and fire non-compliant employees going forward.”

The Police Benevolent Association, New York City’s largest police union, also successfully sued the administration last year and secured a decision similar to Porcio’s on behalf of some of its fired members.

In response to the imminent end of the municipal mandate, PBA President Patrick Lynch said Monday afternoon that he believes “the work is only half done.”

“We are calling on the city to ensure the reinstatement of our members who have been fired or unfairly affected, with wage arrears and no strings attached,” Lynch said.

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