NYC Lifts COVID Vaccine Mandates, With A Catch

New York City’s mayor is announcing a major policy shift that means the end of a major COVID mandate in the Big Apple. However, for employees who lost their job during the pandemic, there is some fine print.

This week, New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced an end to mandatory coronavirus vaccination for employees in the city.

This comes on the heels of a $250 million lawsuit by employees to end the mandate. The mandate was in place for 15 months.

According to the Mayor, almost all employees complied with the compulsory jabs. Earlier figures released by the city showed high vaccination rates among city employees.

According to city health officials, almost 2,000 employees lost their jobs for not getting the vaccine. The city will not automatically grant these jobs back, but instead will require bureaucrats and city workers to apply for their former positions back.

The catch is that the city will not hire back the employees forced out during the vaccine push. That means that city employees that refused to receive the vaccination may be permanently locked out of their old jobs.

The end of the mandate came as a surprise, as New York City has been among the strongest proponents of vaccination against the virus.

The actions in New York echo those happening across the country. A number of municipalities and states are declaring the end of the state of emergency and government mandates. It also comes as President Biden will officially declare the end of the COVID pandemic emergency in May.

New York City’s decision marks a figurative end to the pandemic as the coronavirus mutates into less dangerous variants. The end of the mandate will not automatically settle the question of the jobs of those fired.

Mayor Adams made the decision based on major changes in perception regarding the virus. It marks a major milestone toward the end of the pandemic and its effects.