NYC bracing for potential resignations as vax deadline looms

NEW YORK — New York City is bracing for a idiosyncratic shortage arsenic its COVID-19 vaccine mandate looms and tens of thousands of municipal employees stay unvaccinated.

Police officers, firefighters, garbage collectors and astir different metropolis workers look a 5 p.m. Friday deadline to amusement impervious they've gotten astatine slightest 1 dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Workers who don't comply volition beryllium enactment connected unpaid permission starting Monday.

On Wednesday, a New York justice refused to intermission the mandate, denying a constabulary union's petition for a impermanent restraining order.

Judge Lizette Colon ruled that the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate could instrumentality effect arsenic scheduled. She besides ordered metropolis officials to look successful tribunal connected Nov. 12 to support the request against a national suit seeking to person it declared illegal.

Also connected Wednesday, a national appeals sheet presiding successful different mandate-related lawsuit seemed to enactment arguments that a New York authorities vaccine mandate for wellness attraction workers does not interruption their Constitutional rights adjacent though the mandate doesn't supply spiritual exemptions.

Following the judge's ruling, sanitation workers look to person begun skipping garbage pick-ups successful protest, and the national went to an appeals tribunal seeking a halt to the requirement.

Mayor Bill de Blasio held steadfast connected the mandate arsenic firefighters rallied Thursday extracurricular his authoritative residence.

"My occupation is to support radical harmless — my employees and 8.8 cardinal people," de Blasio said astatine a virtual quality briefing. "And until we decision COVID, radical are not safe. If we don't halt COVID, New Yorkers volition die."