NYC extends vaccine mandate to expand to all public workers, ends test-out

New York City on Wednesday announced that it is expanding its vaccine mandate to all public employees and it will also end the option of testing weekly instead of getting the vaccine.

The city says that the mandate will affect 160,500 city workers, as they will be required to have one dose of the vaccine by Oct. 29. The only workers excluded are some uniformed corrections officers that will have a deadline of Dec. 1. 

City employees who provide proof of vaccination by the Oct. 29 deadline will get a $500 bonus in their paychecks, while those who don’t submit documentation will be placed on unpaid leave until they do. 

“There is no greater privilege than serving the people of New York City and that privilege comes with a responsibility to keep yourself and your community safe,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said.

“We have led the way against COVID-19 — from fighting for the right to vaccinate frontline workers, to providing nation-leading incentives, to creating the Key to NYC mandate. As we continue our recovery for all of us, city workers have been a daily inspiration. Now is the time for them to show their city the path out of this pandemic once and for all,” he added.

City Health Commissioner David Chokshi will sign the health order on Wednesday. The mandate will be for all city workers, including those working for the police and fire departments. 

A vaccine mandate was already required for health and education workers, with those industries reporting 95 percent and 96 percent full vaccination rates, respectively.

Before the mandate for all workers was announced, the city said 71 percent of those who are affected by the mandate already have at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.