Holdouts dig in as NYC vaccine mandate takes effect
New York City’s vaccination mandate for city workers took effect Monday amid fierce resistance among a minority of workers in a few critical public safety jobs
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.New York City's vaccination mandate for city workers took effect Monday amid fierce resistance among a minority of workers in a few critical public safety jobs, including police officers and firefighters.
As of Sunday, 1 in 4 of the city's uniformed firefighters still hadn't gotten a first dose of the vaccine, as required. About 1 in 6 police officers were still unvaccinated. It wasn't clear how many might have rushed to get a dose at the last minute over the weekend, or early Monday.
Under the city’s mandate, those who haven’t received at least one dose of the vaccine will be suspended without pay. New York has more than 300,000 employees.
City officials have said they are prepared for possible staffing shortfalls, calling in vaccinated employees for overtime shifts.
The head of the union that represents New York City firefighters, which has fought the vaccine mandate, warned that public safety could be at risk. The fire department has said it was prepared to take up to 20% of its fire companies out of service and and have 20% fewer ambulances on the road.
“We’re here today because of a mandate that was put not only on our members, but also all New York City employees, given nine days to make a life-changing decision on their career or whether or not they’re going to take a vaccine,” Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro said at an early morning news conference.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has said the city's highest public safety priority is stopping the spread of COVID-19, which continues to kill a handful of people in the city every day.