Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday in a news
conference that it’s “a very strong possibility.” De Blasio says that
now that the courts are in support of the vaccine mandate for DOE staff
members, the FDNY, NYPD, and other agencies could be next to see mandates.
As of today, 68% of the NYPD active workforce is currently
vaccinated, while 59% of the FDNY is vaccinated. And
49% of corrections officers have gotten at least one shot.
The current rule for these employees is that they either
need to be vaccinated or can opt to have a negative COVID-19 test every seven
days. FDNY Commissioner Nigro said Wednesday in an interview that “it’s
time for our FDNY members to be mandated.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea has stated he would support a
vaccine mandate as well. However, Patrick Lynch, president of the Police
Benevolent Association released a statement that in part stated that the
vaccine “is a medical decision that members must make in consultation with
their own health care providers,” emphasizing that the union will
“continue to protect the rights of members who are not vaccinated.”