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Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday that the “voluntary phase is over” in the effort to administer COVID-19 vaccines to city workers – hinting that mandatory jabs for the Big Apple could arrive soon.
When asked if the city will soon require all workers in the city to be vaccinated, de Blasio said he was heading in that direction.
“Yes, we are climbing a ladder. I’m not answering yes to your question yet, “he said on MSNBC’s” Morning Joe “in response to a question from host Joe Scarborough.
“But if that’s not enough, I think we have to be ready to move up the ranks further,” he added. “We have to put pressure on this situation.
On Monday, de Blasio announced that the city’s entire workforce will soon have to undergo weekly tests if they are not vaccinated against the coronavirus. Additionally, city officials have said the city, starting August 2, will require unvaccinated municipal workers to wear face masks in their workplaces – or face their removal and suspension without pay.
The new rules came after de Blasio on Wednesday described a weekly COVID-19 testing or vaccine requirement for workers in the city’s public health system, as the highly contagious Delta variant of the bug spread across the five arrondissements has increased.
On Tuesday, de Blasio said luring New Yorkers with goodies was not enough to meet the city’s goal of getting more workers vaccinated against COVID-19.
“We have to shake people up at this point and say, ‘Come on now. We tried volunteering. We couldn’t have been nicer and more compassionate. Free tests, wherever you turn, incentives, friendly and warm hug. The voluntary phase is over, ”de Blasio said on MSNBC.
“We can continue to do these things. I’m not saying stop it. I say volunteering alone doesn’t work, ”he added. “It is time for mandates, because it is the only way to protect our people. “
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