NYC To Fire 3000 Municipal Workers Who Failed To Get Covid-19 Vaccine

As of today, all municipal workers for the state of New York are required to be vaccinated against Covid-19. On Thursday, New York mayor Eric Adams was asked if he would reconsider the mandate and declined, doubling down on it instead.

In response to the question, Adams said, “We’re not firing them. People are quitting. The responsibility is clear. We said it: if you’re hired, if you get this job, you have to be vaccinated. If you are not following the rules, you are making that decision.”

This vaccine mandate, which was first enacted last year by former Mayor Bill De Blasio and took effect November 1, requires all workers hired after August 2 to provide proof of vaccination by Friday or risk being terminated. City workers affected by this mandate include firefighters, correction officers and cops, some of whom have protested mandates in the past.

“I would do a disservice to those who follow the rules if we don’t have a clear direction,” Adams added, noting that reversing the decision now would just cause further confusion and leave workers vulnerable if a new Covid-19 variant emerges.

People may have assumed that Adams may relax this upcoming mandate because New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced Wednesday that she would end masking and vaccine requirements in most indoor places besides schools, but so far it seems like Adams is planning on keeping most of NYC’s stricter rules in place for now. When asked about lifting citywide masking and vaccination mandates, Adams said he would “err on the side of caution. My healthcare professionals have not said this is the moment yet.”