Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio noted on Monday that all unvaccinated workers must be vaccinated by September 13 or get weekly COVID-19 tests.
Those that do not follow the strict mask mandate will be met with these “consequences”.
By Sept. 13, de Blasio wants the entire NYC workforce following the COVID safe mandate. He also explained that the vaccine is more preferable but people have the choice to follow weekly testing and mask-wearing.
This is about our recovery… this is about keeping people safe.
Bill de Blasio
This specific date has been chosen because it is the first full day of school. All employees who choose to be vaccinated are expected to have their shots by that day. The city will start strictly enforcing their mask mandate for unvaccinated employees.
The Mayor is also encouraging social media platforms to block certain people who are believed to be the leaders in spreading vaccine misinformation on the internet.
Renee Campion, Commissioner of Labor Relation, added that mask wearing should be a Jon requirement for those that refuse to get vaccinated. She even went as far to suggest taking away wages from those who do not follow the mandate.
If employees refuse to comply, they just can’t be at work. And in fact they will not be paid.
Renee Campion
District Council 37, which is the city’s largest public union, encourages people to get vaccinated, but their Executive Director Henry Garrido claims that if “City Hall intends to test our members weekly, they must first meet us at the table to bargain”.
In the future, NYC could have stricter vaccine and COVID restrictions, explains de Blasio. The city is also planning to launch a “NYC COVID Safe app”, which would essentially be a vaccine passport app.