About 9,000 unvaccinated New York City municipal workers were put on unpaid leave for refusing to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate that took effect on Monday, November, 1, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
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 personnel and 1 in 6 sanitation workers were still unvaccinated, according to the AP.
About 12,000 workers have applied for religious or medical exemptions. They can remain on the job while city officials review those applications.
City officials have said they are prepared for possible staffing shortfalls, calling in vaccinated employees for overtime shifts.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro in the state said that firehouses remained open but 18 of the department’s 350 units were out of service and “many units are understaffed,” as thousands of city firefighters have called out sick in an apparent protest over the requirement.
De Blasio said the city is watching to see if the firefighters union is coordinating the sick outs and would take them to court if there’s evidence of an illegal strike.
About 9 in 10 city workers covered by the mandate have gotten vaccinated and there have been no disruptions to city services as a result of staffing shortages, de Blasio told reporters at his daily news briefing.
New York has more than 300,000 city employees.
City officials have been battling resistance among a minority of workers in some critical public safety jobs, including police officers and firefighters, as well as a pending legal challenge to the mandate by the city’s largest police union.
The head of the union that represents New York City firefighters, which has opposed 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 have 20% fewer ambulances on the road.
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.
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