Democratic leaders across all levels of government have increasingly pursued strict COVID-19 mandates for American citizens.
Now, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is removing an option allowing unvaccinated city workers to keep their jobs if they receive regular testing, the Washington Examiner reports.
The policy is just the latest from the Democratic mayor, who has described vaccines as the “key” to his city’s pandemic response.
“Path out of this pandemic”
Beginning later this month, all city workers, including police officers and firefighters, must be vaccinated or be placed on unpaid leave.
While critics have described mandates like this as tyrannical and unconstitutional, de Blasio insists that the requirement is the “path out of this pandemic,” as the Examiner notes.
His left-leaning agenda might be seen as an indicator of the authoritarian policies that could be coming from other Democratic leaders in the near future.
New York City was one of the first municipalities to introduce vaccine mandates that kept unvaccinated individuals out of public spaces including restaurants and gyms. Businesses that do not go along with the policy are subject to fines from the city.
“We will proceed with legal action”
Although many other cities have enacted less severe orders, COVID-19 vaccine mandates have nevertheless become increasingly common. As a result, many Americans who remain skeptical of the vaccines have complained that they are being treated as second-class citizens in their own communities.
For his part, President Joe Biden has effectively reversed his earlier vow to eschew federal vaccine mandates. He has introduced a series of strict requirements, though de Blasio’s order goes even further by eliminating the option of allowing unvaccinated individuals the option to undergo COVID-19 testing instead of receiving a jab.
New York City’s largest police union, however, is pushing back.
“From the beginning of the de Blasio administration’s haphazard vaccine rollout, we have fought to make the vaccine available to every member who chooses it, while also protecting their right to make that personal medical decision in consultation with their own doctor,” Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch explained, according to Fox News. “Now that the city has moved to unilaterally impose the mandate, we will proceed with legal action to protect our members’ rights.”
It remains to be seen whether Democratic leaders elsewhere across the United States will pursue similarly severe mandates.
The post NYC Mayor de Blasio eliminates testing option for unvaccinated city workers first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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