What you should know
- New York City is building on its previous weekly COVID vaccination or testing policy for Department of Education employees, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.
- It is an interim measure while the latest temporary injunction against his mandate is developed that requires at least one dose for all those employees.
- On the other hand, the vaccination mandate for New York State health workers, implemented by Governor Kathy Hochul, went into effect on Monday. Many have yet to meet the requirement and hospitals and nursing homes are preparing for a possible staff shortage.
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NEW YORK – New York City is relying on its previous weekly COVID testing or vaccination policy for Department of Education employees, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday, as an interim measure while the latest temporary court order is developed. against his mandate requiring at least one dose for all those employees.
It was the second last-minute temporary block of the mayor’s vaccination mandate as legal battles continue over the constitutionality of such requirements.
An attorney representing Department of Education employees says opponents of the mayor’s school mandate only want a weekly testing option inscribed in the rule for those who, for whatever reason, do not want to get vaccinated against COVID.
“Many of them are not against vaccination. They are against the mandate,” attorney Louis Gelormino said of city education workers who oppose Mayor de Blasio’s requirement for vaccinations. “I think the truth that brought them all together is that they are the only municipal workers in New York City who are forced to receive this vaccine and they are the only school teachers in New York State who are forced to receive this vaccine. “
Education Department spokeswoman Danielle Filson says officials are seeking a speedy resolution from the circuit court this week. As of Monday, de Blasio said 87% of all Department of Education (or DOE) staff are at least partially vaccinated, including 90% of teachers and 97% of principals. The United Federation of Teachers, the city’s largest teachers union, says 97% of its members are also at least partially vaccinated.
Although most school workers have been vaccinated, unions representing New York City principals and teachers warned that the one million student school system could have fewer than 10,000 teachers, along with other staff members, if the mandate forces some to leave the classroom.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has resisted calls to delay the term and insists the city was ready. He has also said that the Big Apple has an army of fully vaccinated substitutes ready to deploy in case there are any concerns about adequately staffing their schools.
“We have been planning all the time. We have a lot of substitutes ready, ”the Democrat said in a radio interview on Friday. “A lot will happen between now and Monday, but beyond that, we are ready, even with the sum of, if we need thousands, we have thousands.”
In an email to staff, New York City Chancellor of Schools Meisha Porter said schools still need to prepare for the possibility of the vaccination mandate going into effect this week. The court matter could come up as early as Wednesday, when a three-judge panel will take the motion referred by a judge from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, who granted the temporary injunction on Friday for the evening.
While teachers and staff will report to work Monday while they await the next court decision, there is growing concern about possible staffing shortages in hospitals and nursing homes over Gov. Kathy Hochul’s vaccination mandate.
Many healthcare workers in New York had yet to receive the required first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before Monday’s deadline, leaving the possibility of potentially thousands of people being forced to leave work. .
Like de Blasio, Hochul has said she is willing to distribute resources as needed to accommodate staffing constraints arising from the mandate. The governor said Saturday that she is willing to call members of the National Guard, retirees and workers with medical training outside of New York to address possible staff shortages.
Ultimately, Hochul argues that patients shouldn’t have to worry that healthcare professionals they trust to protect them might infect them with COVID-19. She insists that vaccination mandates “are the smartest thing to do” and must continue.
If necessary, Hochul said, he will declare a state of emergency through an executive order designed to address staff shortages in hospitals and nursing homes once the mandate takes effect on Monday.
The order would allow healthcare professionals licensed in other states or countries, recent graduates or practicing healthcare professionals to practice in New York, Hochul said. It is also exploring ways to streamline visa applications for medical professionals.
“I am closely monitoring the staffing situation and we have a plan to increase our healthcare workforce and help ease the burden on our hospitals and other healthcare facilities,” the governor said in a news release on weekend.
Hospitals across the state have been preparing contingency plans that included cutting back on elective surgeries. Many nursing homes were limiting admissions in anticipation of a staff shortage.
“Right now we are approximately 84% vaccinated statewide, so any initiative the governor can promote to increase the workforce is welcome and necessary,” said Stephen Hanse, who represents nursing homes throughout the state as president of the New York State Health Facilities Association and the New York State Center for Assisted Living.
Hochul, a Democrat, has resisted calls to delay the term, and her last-minute announcement could increase pressure on vaccine rejections. The governor said workers fired because they refused to be vaccinated do not qualify for unemployment insurance without a request for medical accommodation approved by a doctor.
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