NYC to End Vaccine Mandate for City Workers

By Matis Glenn

New York City workers will no longer need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to work in the city, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday.

The news comes on the heels of several lawsuits by laid off city and state employees, including a ruling last month by New York Judge Gerard Neri that the mandates statewide on medical workers was “null, void, and of no effect.” Subsequently, the state Board of Health said it was “exploring its options” and planned to appeal the ruling.

Adams said that starting February 10, pending an “expected ratification at the next Board of Health meeting,” vaccines will be optional for current employees – 96% of which are fully vaccinated – and those wishing to join the city workforce. The new policy covers all city workers, including day-care and non-private school employees.

While Neri’s ruling did not mention a clause for reinstatement with or without backpay for fired workers, another ruling last October from state Judge Ralph Porzio in a lawsuit brought by fired sanitation workers stipulated that the estimated 1,780 fired city workers receive both accommodations.

The mandates were originally enacted in October 2021.

Last week, President Joe Biden announced that the public health emergency – which has been in place for three years – will officially end in May.

Adams says that the workers will not be reinstated automatically, but will be able to reapply for work.

“While the approximately 1,780 former employees terminated for failing to submit proof of vaccination will not be able to automatically return to their previous positions, they will be able to apply for positions with their former agencies through existing city rules and regulations and hiring processes,” the mayor said in a statement.

Critics of the vaccine mandate celebrated the news.

“Victory for city workers!” Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov said on social media, citing her “numerous protests, conversations, meetings with the Mayor” on the issue.

Citywide vaccine mandates for private sector workers were lifted last November,