As vaccine mandate deadline looms, New York City braces for worker shortage

With more than a quarter of workers at some important agencies still unvaccinated, it seems New York City will have to brace for potential shortages in its sanitation, police and fire departments.The development comes as the deadline for government’s directive for all city workers to get the Covid shot is on Friday.

The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) has warned that up to 20 per cent of fire companies and ambulances could be out of commission on Monday. In an apparent protest by sanitation workers, the garbage is already piling up in corners of the city.

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The vaccine mandate is the right thing to do and the city can get through any disruptions, said Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday.“My job is to keep people safe — my employees and 8.8 million people. And until we defeat Covid, people are not safe. If we don’t stop Covid, New Yorkers will die. We must, must stop Covid, and that must, must include our public employees. In fact, they need to lead the way,” Blasio told reporters.

When mayor spoke, around a thousand city workers and vaccine opponents were protesting outside his home at Gracie Mansion.

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“On November 1, there’s going to be a crisis in this city. This is a crisis that is orchestrated by the mayor. People’s lives are at stake,” said Uniformed Firefighters Association president Andrew Ansbro.

Ordered by de Blasio earlier this month, the vaccine mandate will take effect at 5 pm on Friday. From Monday morning, workers, who have not received their first shot, will be barred from working and will not get paid until they can show proof of having received at least one shot.

(With inputs from agencies)