NYC Sets Vax Mandate for Non-Public School Employees Amid State COVID Spike
What to Know
- All nonpublic school employees must provide proof of first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination by Dec. 20 as part of the city’s latest health mandate.
- Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi made the announcement Thursday.
- The mandate will apply to about 56,000 employees at 938 schools across New York City.
All nonpublic school employees must provide proof of first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination by Dec. 20 as part of the city’s latest health mandate.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi made the announcement Thursday.
“Vaccinations are the key to our recovery, and our public schools are among the safest places to be in the city. Childcare centers will now be just as safe, and it’s time to use the tools we have at our disposal to climb the ladder even further,” Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’re doing everything in our power to protect our students and school staff, and a mandate for nonpublic school employees will help keep our school communities and youngest New Yorkers safe.”
The mandate will apply to roughly 56,000 employees at 938 schools across New York City.
The city said the new mandate is in alignment with recommendations from the CDC, which has recommended that school teachers and staff be vaccinated as soon as possible.
“The health and safety of our children is paramount and we are extending our vaccine mandate to ensure all schools are protected from COVID-19,” Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi said. “All teachers and school staff should get vaccinated as soon as possible. The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and save lives.”
New York City public school teachers and other school staff members are already required to be at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 as of October, when the controversial mandate for the largest public school district in the country went into effect.
Additionally, the city said it will offer vaccines to any schools — public or not — that request it, and vaccinations will be offered to interested eligible students as well as staff at the school. New York City public schools have already held a series of in-school vaccination drives last month, creating pop-ups in more than 1,000 buildings that serve students aged 5 to 11 as part of an effort to dose the newly eligible with Pfizer’s shot.
The latest mandate came the same day the state reported 11,300 new positive cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day total since late January, along with new months-long highs in daily deaths and hospitalizations.
The U.S. has now confirmed its second omicron variant case — in a Minnesota resident who recently traveled to New York City for a two-day convention at the Javits Center in Manhattan, the state’s Department of Public Health said Thursday.
The Minnesota case is an adult male who lives in Hennepin County and had been vaccinated, officials said. He attended the Anime NYC 2021 convention at the Javits Center from Nov. 19-21. It’s not clear what else he may have done in New York City during his visit, but he developed mild symptoms on Nov. 22 and was tested for COVID two days later, officials said. His symptoms have since resolved.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and other officials, as well as public health leaders, had said it would only be a matter of time before omicron was detected locally — and that window appears to be shortening rapidly. New York state sequences only about 3.5% of positive COVID samples for variant isolation, similar to other states — but it means that variants like omicron can circulate widely undetected for some time.
Hochul said Thursday the Javits Anime convention organizers have a complete list of those who attended the two-day event and she expects contact tracing to move along much faster than it would have a year or even six months ago. She also said she and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio would hold a joint press briefing soon, though didn’t say exactly when, to outline next steps once they learn more details.
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