New York City to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all public employees

Seventy-one percent of all 160,000 New York City workers have already received at least one vaccine dose, the mayor said. Workers at the city's Department of Education and New York City Health and Hospitals agency have been subject to vaccination mandates since September.

New York City employees will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of next week or will be placed on leave and not be paid, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday.

City employees will receive $500 for receiving their first shot at a city-run vaccination site by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 29. After that, employees will be required to have at least one dose of a vaccine and show proof of vaccination to their supervisor, de Blasio said in a statement. “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,” he said.

The policy in the most populous U.S. city comes as numerous other municipalities, school districts and other governments across the nation grapple with masking and vaccination requirements as the number of cases of the virus is decreasing. Seventy-one percent of all 160,000 New York City workers have already received at least one vaccine dose, the mayor said. Workers at the city's Department of Education and New York City Health and Hospitals agency have been subject to vaccination mandates since September. The vaccine rate in those departments is at least 95%, de Blasio said.

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