New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday that the city will lift its COVID-19 vaccine mandate later this month.
Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced NYC’s vaccine mandate in October 2021 and offered $500 for any employee that obtained their first dose within a week of the mandate being enforced, according to a press release. Adams said in an announcement that the city would be removing its vaccine mandate, saying that it was the “right moment for this decision,” but continued to encourage anyone who had not been vaccinated to receive their shot, according to Monday’s press release. (RELATED: Navy SEALs Still Face ‘Religious Discrimination’ Even After Vaccine Mandate Overturned, Complaint Alleges)
“With more than 96 percent of city workers and more than 80 percent of New Yorkers having received their primary COVID-19 series and more tools readily available to keep us healthy, this is the right moment for this decision,” Adams said in the announcement. “I continue to urge every New Yorker to get vaccinated, get boosted, and take the necessary steps to protect themselves and those around them from COVID-19.”
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 09: A resident gets an influenza vaccine during an event hosted by the Chicago Department of Public Health at the Southwest Senior Center on September 09, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The mandate will end on Feb. 10, making the vaccine optional for NYC workers and state Department of Education employees, according to the announcement. The mandate will also be removed for daycare and “early child care” staff.
The hundreds of employees who lost their jobs after the mandate was put in place for refusing to get the vaccine, however, will not be reinstated to their positions, according to the press release.
“At this point, the city has fully processed and issued decisions for all pending reasonable accommodation appeals,” the announcement read. “While the approximately 1,780 former employees terminated for failing to submit proof of vaccination will not be able to automatically return to their previous positions, they will be able to apply for positions with their former agencies through existing city rules and regulations and hiring processes.”
Adams did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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