NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 16: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during a faith vigil for victims of an earthquake in Haiti at the steps of St. Jerome’s Roman Catholic Church on August 16, 2021 in the Little Caribbean neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
New York City is mulling a possible COVID-19 vaccination mandate for its first responders.
In an announcement on Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) didn’t rule out mandatory vaccinations for the New York Police Department, New York City Fire Department and other city workers. In response, the president of the city’s largest police union said the vaccine should be a medical decision that members make on their own, adding those who choose not to get vaccinated would still be protected.
“We’re looking at all options,” said the mayor on Friday. “In the coming days I’ll speak about additional steps for different parts of the city, our workforce and beyond, different things we’re going to be doing. But that’s still several days away because we’re doing a very meticulous analysis of what is the next step that makes sense.”
Mandates work and vaccines work. With 2,000 more vaccinations this week alone, our @NYCSchools staff is stepping up to keep our schools safe and bring our city back. pic.twitter.com/HqLgn4QkVB
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) October 7, 2021
Meanwhile, citywide protests have broken out in recent days after de Blasio issued a separate vaccine mandate for New York City teachers and staff. The city has also mandated vaccines for health care workers and put regulations in place for restaurants and sporting events.
Source: One America News Network
