New York City Mayor Eric Adams stands on his ground to keep the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in place following accusations of public-school employees providing false proof of vaccination.
“I’m really disappointed to learn that there were fake vaccination cards,” Adams said during a press conference on Friday in Queens. “Not only is that illegal, it undermines our entire trust.”
This comes after the mayor announced last month that he would only waive the prerequisite for local athletes and performers, angering workers in the Big Apple.
“This is about putting New York City-based performers on a level playing field,” Adams said of his decision to exempt artists. “It’s unimaginable we treated our performers differently because they lived and played for home teams. It’s not acceptable.”
He added that the exemption would boost the city’s tourism industry.
“Today, the decision we’re making, we’re not making it loosely, or haphazardly. We’re not doing it because there are pressures to do it. We’re doing it because the city has to function. We’re leading the entire country for the most part in unemployment. We’re seeing unbelievable vacancies in our business district,” Adams said.
As expected, labor leaders were not happy with the announcement, with Correction Captains’ Association president Patrick Ferraiuolo noting the unfair treatment of blue-collar workers.
“I wish the same consideration was given to all city employees, the true heroes that kept the city safe and running during the height of the pandemic,” Ferraiuolo, whose members work in local jails, told reporters.
Paul DiGiacomo, head of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, also expressed his frustration, saying that the decision “doesn’t make common sense.”
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“And we’re losing, in particular, the rank of the detectives, a tremendous amount of talent it takes many years to obtain in special units such as crime scene, emergency service, homicide, precinct detective squads and counterterrorism units. And it’s counterproductive to the safety for the people of the city,” DiGiacomo said.
Earlier this month, Adams reversed his statement of lifting the mask mandate for children under the age of five after an uptick of COVID-19 cases in the city but Richmond County Supreme Court Judge Ralph Porzio issued a stay on the mask mandate, rendering it unenforceable in schools and daycares.
