New York City mayor Eric Adams announced today that Covid vaccines will become “optional” for city workers, starting on February 10 – a move in line with other Democrats, running cities and states, but at odds with the stance long held by President Biden.
The Biden administration has gone to court to keep special powers made possible by the president’s Covid emergency declaration, including powers to end evictions for tenants who failed to pay their rent, expanding healthcare subsidies, and other measures. Significantly, presidential orders remain in place requiring soldiers to get the jab or face legal consequences.
Mayor Adams’ announcement trumpeted that some 96 percent of New York City workers had been fully vaccinated – one of the highest vaccination rates for any major city in the United States. New York remains a Covid hotspot and some 40 percent of cases between 2020 and 2022 are believed to have originated there, according to CBS News.
“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 press release. “I continue to urge every New Yorker to get vaccinated, get boosted, and take the necessary steps to protect themselves and those around them from Covid-19.”
Biden’s emergency measures are increasingly being struck down in federal courts. According to NPR, the Supreme Court struck down the measure down from OSHA declaring the vaccine-or-rule unconstitutional for the federal government to exceed its powers. The decision by the Supreme Court was 6 to 3 where all three of the liberal justices dissented.
Other cities led by Democrats have also ended their vaccination mandates. On February 16, in Los Angeles, CA, the county board of supervisors lifted the mask mandate for both vaccinated & unvaccinated people, according to ABC7. California is not requiring to have children to get their vaccination shot to attend schools, in a source according to NBC Bay Area.
The Biden administration had battled in the courts to keep special powers made possible by the president’s executive orders on Covid-19 that included evictions, healthcare subsidies, and various measures.
The military is required for vaccination under presidential orders.
The executive orders had included wearing masks on airports, government property, and hospitals to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Other states and companies have moved away from the Covid-19 vaccine mandate as cases continue to drop.
The White House announced that the administration plan to end the Covid-19 pandemic health emergency by the spring.
During the mandate, about 1,870 employees were fired for refusing the mandate or providing a proof of vaccination according to the Reuters. In another section from the Gothamist to the Gothamist, many former city employees will be able to apply for work from their former agencies.
News Corp, which owns Fox News, and other large New York-based companies required its workers to provide a proof of vaccination against Covid-19.
These New York Covid-19 mandates were implemented at the beginning of the pandemic during former Mayor Bill De Blasio’s term — making it politically easier for the new mayor to overturn the vaccination edict.
Edited by Virginia Van Zandt and Joseph Hammond
