New York City’s Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate for city employees, including New York Police Department (NYPD) officers, has been blocked by a Manhattan court.
New York Supreme Court Judge Frank P. Nervo declared Tuesday that the vaccine mandates were temporarily suspended pending a hearing scheduled for Dec. 14.
On Oct. 20, de Blasio ordered all city employees to get their first vaccination by Oct. 29, or be suspended without pay, despite police and fire departments opposing the measure due to them already facing significant staff shortages.
After the vaccine mandate took affect, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) closed 26 fire companies citywide due to staff shortages. The NYPD warned that as many as 10,000 officers could be suspended, although only 89 suspensions were documented immediately after the mandate.
Judge Nervo ruled on Tuesday that de Blasio and city officials must halt the vaccination mandates and their enforcement of them on all city employees pending the results of a hearing next week.
On Monday, de Blasio authorized the most strict vaccination mandates in the country, ordering all private sector employees in the city to receive a vaccine by Dec. 27 in order to go to work or visit any private establishment, tweeting that it would help New Yorkers “save lives and move forward.”
He also announced that all eligible children ages 5 to 11 must now be vaccinated in order to participate in any indoor activities or settings.
The Biden administration’s vaccine mandates, also facing legal challenges, called on all businesses with 100 or more employees to vaccinate workers. Public workers and federal contractors were also ordered to be vaccinated. Last week, several courts across the nation halted Biden’s vaccine mandates over concerns that they were “unconstitutional.” Another federal judge blocked the vaccine requirements for federal contractors on Tuesday.
De Blasio’s term as mayor will expire midnight on Jan. 1, 2022. Democrat Mayor-elect Eric Adams will succeed him as mayor of New York City.