COVID-19 jabs or weekly tests for all public workers in New York: Mayor

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday announced that all New York City all municipal workers will have to get vaccinated against coronavirus or take a weekly test as COVID-19 cases surge due to the Delta variant, reports AFP. The order will come into effect from September 13 and will apply to more than 300,000 city personnel, including police officers, fire fighters and teachers.

“This is about our recovery. This is about keeping people safe,” de Blasio told a press conference. Last week, he announced that the city’s 30,000 public hospital workers would need to get vaccinated or face weekly testing from August 2.

Also Read| UK could force students to get double vaccination to attend lectures

The new order is is the most stringent measure taken so far in the US megacity to boost vaccination rates following a campaign based on voluntary participation and incentives.

According to the report, 59% of the adult New Yorkers have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine but the vaccination programme has slowed down.

Also Read| Parents opting for homeschooling in the virus-plagued US

The White House and local governments are making all efforts to to increase vaccination rates against the Delta variant, which accounts for more than 89% of US infections, according to estimates.

Many health officials are pushing to make vaccination mandatory, at least for certain segments of the population. But several Republican-led states have instead passed laws banning coercive measures, particularly in schools.

The September 13 date will coincide with the return of one million students to New York’s public schools for the new academic year.

The US is the worst affected country by the coronavirus pandemic in the world with over 34.4 million cases and 610,891 deaths.