The office of Mayor Eric Adams stated on Saturday that the number of New York City employees dismissed for refusing to receive the Covid-19 vaccination had increased.
By mid-July, 1,752 city employees had been let off, according to a Democrat spokeswoman, which is roughly 200 more than had been previously stated.
Adams claimed to have dismissed 1,430 non-compliant workers in February, mostly from the Department of Education but also from the NYPD and FDNY. Adams has not provided an update since then. Less than 1% of the 370,000 people employed in the city, according to NBC New York, were laid off.
According to data released by City Hall on Monday, 914 employees were let go from the Department of Education, which employed the bulk of those who were sacked. The Housing Authority let go 101 employees.
“City workers served on the frontlines during the pandemic, and by getting vaccinated, they are, once again, showing how they are willing to do the right thing to protect themselves and all New Yorkers. Our goal was always to vaccinate, not terminate, and city workers stepped up and met the goal placed before them,” Adams said.
Adams gave most employees who lost their jobs for not being vaccinated a temporary reprieve last month, as long as they received the first dosage of the vaccine by June 30 and made plans for the second shot by August 15.
The Mayor’s Office declined to comment on the number of former employees who took advantage of the offer and went back to work, although sources indicated that few first responders did. This summer, a comparable arrangement is anticipated to be made available to employees who were sacked from their positions with the Department of Education.
