With young New Yorkers preparing to return to in-person learning, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that all employees of New York City’s Department of Education will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. “This will require that all staff of every kind — principals, teachers, custodians, food service, you name it — needs to have at least one dose by September 27,” de Blasio said during a press conference Monday morning.
This news came on the same day the FDA announced that it has given full authorization to Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, a move that will make it easier for governments and private companies to enforce mandates among employees.
Unlike past vaccine mandates for city workers, there won’t be an option for NYCDOE employees to opt out of receiving the shot in exchange for frequent coronavirus testing. The mandate will apply to 148,000 employees of the department.
De Blasio has voiced support for mandates in the past, urging private employers to implement “some form of mandate whatever the maximum you feel you can do.”
“It will move the ball. It will get more people vaccinated,” he said to WNYC in July.
