New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s push to have all city employees vaccinated against COVID-19 is being met with stiff opposition.
This week, NYFD Association President Andrew Ansbro encouraged his constituents to defy the city’s vaccine guidelines even if it means they cannot work.
“I have told my members that if they choose to remain unvaccinated, they must still report for duty,” Ansbro said during a recent press conference.
“If they are told they cannot work, it will be the department and city of New York that sends them home. And it will be the department and the city of New York that has failed to protect the citizens of New York.”
If firefighters follow Ansbro’s lead, it could have a disastrous effect on public safety. The Agence France-Presse claims that roughly 40% of firefighters remain unvaccinated. As a result, 30-40% firehouses could be shut down in the process of this standoff.
Firefighters are not the only group to push back against city health protocols. The New York City Police Benevolent Association and a group of New York teachers have petitioned against the mandate and threatened to sue. However, the Supreme Court did strike down the New York City teachers’ request to remove the vaccine mandate. As for the NYPD, CBS News reported that a Staten Island judge struck down their bid to remove the vaccine mandate earlier this week.
