The vaccination extortion mandates against city workers is over

 

Queens Chronicle

City workers and visitors to Department of Education buildings will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination starting Feb. 10, Mayor Adams announced on Monday.

“With more than 96 percent of city workers and more than 80 percent of New Yorkers having received their primary COVID-19 series and more tools readily available to keep us healthy, this is the right moment for this decision,” Adams said in a statement, encouraging people still to get vaccinated and boosted and take Covid precautions.

Many praised the move, saying it was overdue and followed common sense.

“Today’s announcement to suspend mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for all city workers proves that we’ve been correct all along,” Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park), a member of the City Council’s Common Sense Caucus, said in a prepared statement. “From the very beginning of this pandemic, my colleagues and I have opposed these requirements.”

Also in the caucus are Queens Councilmembers Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) and Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone).

Those who refused vaccination will no longer be subjected to weekly tests and new hires will not need to prove their vaccination status, opening up a pool of potential employees to fill pandemic-driven manpower gaps, Ariola noted.

But she and her colleagues noted that there is still work to be done as approximately 1,780 workers fired for refusing vaccination will not be able to automatically return to work. 

“This is an excellent step in the right direction, but more needs to be done: let’s rehire all those who lost their jobs to the DeBlasio-era mandates and bring the city back to normalcy,” Holden said on Twitter.

Paladino tweeted, “The war is not yet over, we must continue to fight for those who were wrongfully fired due to a personal medical decision.”

Those workers will be able to apply for positions with their former agencies through existing rules and regulations and hiring processes, the announcement from City Hall stated. The city said it has fully processed and issued decisions for all pending “reasonable accommodation” appeals.

“We are glad that the City has decided to stop fighting against our court victory overturning this unjust and illogical mandate,” PBA President Patrick Lynch said in a statement. 

In September, a judge ruled that the city’s vaccine mandate for municipal workers in the city’s largest police union was invalid.

“However, the job is only half done,” Lynch continued. “We call on the City to ensure that our members who were fired or had their employment unfairly impacted are reinstated, with back pay and without condition.”

Monday’s announcement includes city DOE employees as well as nonpublic school, early childcare and daycare staff.