BREAKING NEWS: All private-sector employees in New York City must adhere to a brand new NYC vaccine mandate effective December 27, 2021.
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During a surprise Monday tweet, outgoing Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced that all city residents employed in the private sector will join New York City police, firefighters, and other public employees and be required to receive at least 2 doses of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccine. The NYC vaccine mandate is the first of its kind in the country and will almost certainly become controversial among those residents who, for whatever reason, remain unvaccinated but still work in private offices and businesses.
“NYC is a global leader when it comes to #COVID19 recovery. We’ve proven that with vaccine mandates and incentives, we can beat this virus,” DeBlasio wrote on Twitter.
“Now we’re taking another step towards the future — a private sector employee vaccine mandate. Together we can save lives and move forward,” he added.
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.@NYCMayor discusses new Covid expansions in the city pic.twitter.com/aKsUjkStNP
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) December 6, 2021
According to DeBlasio, the combination of the Omicron variant and holiday gatherings left him no choice but to take “bold” steps.
“We in New York City have decided to use a preemptive strike to really do something bold to stop the further growth of COVID and the dangers it’s causing to all of us,” he said in an interview on MSNBC.
The mayor is giving businesses just 3 weeks to make sure their workers are vaccinated.
De Blasio said the city will release specific rules on December 15th before the mandate takes effect. He also said the mandate will only apply to in-person employees and not to those who exclusively work from home. He gave no details on how the city will enforce the new rule or what the punishment will be for those who don’t comply.
“Vaccines work, and vaccine mandates work, particularly when joined with efforts to build vaccine confidence, provide incentives, and improve access, as we have in New York City,” NYC Health Commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi, said. “We’ve seen this with our health care workers, school staff, and public employees. Now it’s time for the private sector to step up and follow suit.”
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Today @NYCMayor and I announced major new vaccine policies ⬇
1. A vaccine mandate for private-sector workers. The mandate, which will take effect on December 27, will apply to roughly 184,000 businesses. More guidance coming next week for businesses. 🧵— Commissioner Dave A. Chokshi, MD (@NYCHealthCommr) December 6, 2021
“Getting the unvaccinated vaccinated is critical to getting our control. We know that that will not happen voluntarily,” renowned bioethicist Dr. Zeke Emanuel added. “That’s where mandates come in. We know that no one likes to be required to do something. We all like to be given our choice. We are, after all, Americans, where freedom of choice is essential. But when we have this collective issue that we all have to get vaccinated to protect everyone, we do need to have mandates.”
In addition to the NYC vaccine mandate, DeBlasio announced that children ages 5-11 will now be required to show proof of vaccine before being allowed to enter restaurants, gyms, theaters, and other NYC entertainment venues. He also said the new rule will require at least 2 vaccines, which is up from the previous requirement of 1.
I know some people in New York are not going to like this rule. But I wish Mayor Lightfoot would do the same thing here in Chicago. I cannot believe how many people are walking around and getting on the El train with no mask on. This thing is not over but people are acting like it is.