Is it good New York is doing this or is this too extreme? 1,430 government workers got fired by Mayor Eric Adams for not getting their COVID vaccinations. The number of those who are infected by COVID-19 have significantly decreased as people are showing proof of vaccinations in New York City. Mayor Adams stated, “City workers served on the frontlines during the pandemic, and by getting vaccinated, they are, once again, showing how they are willing to do the right thing to protect themselves and all New Yorkers.” He specifies that he didn’t want people to lose their jobs, but encouraged them to get vaccinated in pursuit of better health for the community against COVID-19.
Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, said that workers should not get fired because some people believe in natural immunity. 13,044 additional workers did not want to get vaccinated and got exemption for their medical or religious advice. The workers that Mayor Eric Adams fired were on unpaid leave for months. Medical experts praised the mandate for vaccination in New York because it encouraged people to get the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. Friday was the deadline for workers to get vaccinated. Newer workers needed to get two shots from the two-dose vaccine or one shot from the one-dose vaccine.
Those who lost their jobs due to the vaccine mandate represented less than one percent of the workforce, so the services conducted should not affect the city. Last week there was an average of 1,700 cases per day, which is significantly less than the 41,000 daily cases during the peak wave of early January. Religious exemptions are increasing for those who don’t want to get vaccinated. Dr. Randy Tobler, CEO of Scotland County Hospital in Missouri, said, “For people that want to judge what we’re doing in rural America, I’d love them to come and walk in our shoes for a little while, just come and sit in the desk and try to staff the place.”
