De Blasio unveils NYC workplace vaccine mandate requirement, allows for religious, medical exemptions
Private-sector workers in the city must show proof of at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine beginning Dec. 27
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled more of his new plan for workplace vaccine requirements, which allows for medical and religious exemptions.
De Blasio rolled out the details of his plan on Wednesday, requiring private-sector workers in the city to receive at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine beginning Dec. 27 and proof of the second dose within the next 45 days for Moderna or Pfizer recipients.
"We saw every single time we put a mandate in place, it was the decisive factor in getting a lot of people to move," the mayor said in a press briefing. "So, I do not expect people to be losing their jobs because we have a body of evidence that shows that people make the decision, when it's really the moment of truth ... to get vaccinated."
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Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during the opening of a vaccination center for Broadway workers in Times Square on April 12, 2021, in New York City. ( Noam Galai/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The mandate applies to those who work in-person as well as those who interact with the public for business.
Businesses also "may not allow any unvaccinated workers to come to their workplace." Any location, even a vehicle with more than one person, is considered a workplace, according to the state.
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Signs on the door of a coffee shop in Manhattan ask for proof of vaccination and the wearing of a mask on Dec. 13, 2021, the day a mask mandate went into effect in New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images / Getty Images)
"We’ve got to keep everyone safe," De Blasio said. "We're up against a new challenge. So, I think it is, in fact, a positive spirit to say, ‘Let’s make sure this city doesn’t have to shut down again,' which would be the worst thing in the world for people, for families, for their livelihoods."
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De Blasio said he believes the policy will hold up in court.
Some residents have resisted the city's mandates.
This past October, New York City municipal employees marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to express opposition to the requirements.
Traffic was shut down during the protest on behalf of about 50,000 city employees who had not been vaccinated at that time.
Teachers also protested the vaccine mandates in September, holding signs with slogans that included, "Last year's heroes, this year's unemployed."
FOX Business' Pilar Arias and Emma Colton contributed to this report.