Mayor Bill de Blasio said imposing sanctions will be the last resort under a broad mandate that requires nearly all private sector companies to ban unvaccinated employees from work.
The city on Wednesday released more detailed rules on the mandate, which requires workers at some 184,000 businesses to show they have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 27.
“Private sector vaccine mandates will strengthen our recovery,” the Mayor’s Office wrote in a message on social media.
“Today we provide all companies with guidance on how to keep their employees healthy and how to meet our December 27 vaccination deadline. Time to get #VaxToWork,” the message continues.
Private-sector vaccine mandates will make our recovery stronger.
Today we’re giving all businesses guidance on how to keep their employees healthy and follow our December 27 deadline to get them vaccinated. It’s time to get #VaxToWork.https://t.co/trN0Nm01BP
— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) December 15, 2021
Employers have to verify and keep a record of each worker’s proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Workers who have only received one dose will have to receive a second within 45 days. Companies must display a sign stating that they meet the standard “in a conspicuous place.”
Businesses that refuse to abide by the rule could face fines starting at $ 1,000. But de Blasio said the city’s focus will be on educating and working with employers.
“The objective is not to penalize,” de Blasio said. “The goal is just to make this work.”
The mayor announced the mandate, the broadest of any US state or large city, earlier this month.
The new rules will cover private places where you work in the presence of another worker or a member of the public. That includes not just stores, but shared workspaces and taxis, depending on the requirements published by the city.
Companies are not required to discipline or fire workers who do not follow the rules, but they must keep them out of the workplace. Workers seeking accommodation for religious reasons can go to work while their application is being processed.
“I don’t expect people to lose their jobs because we have a body of evidence that shows that people … when push comes to shove, they make the decision to get vaccinated,” de Blasio said.
Vaccinations are already mandatory in the city for hospital and nursing home workers and city employees, including teachers, police officers and firefighters. The city has also enacted a vaccination requirement for dining at a restaurant, going to a gym, or seeing a show.
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