Judge temporarily blocks Mayor de Blasio’s vaccine mandate for city workers

A New York judge temporarily blocked the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public employees.

On Tuesday, Judge Frank Nervo of the New York State court said the mandate will be halted until a hearing on December 14 is held to reconsider the rule. The hearing will determine if a temporary restraining order on the rule is warranted. The city has until next Monday to respond.

On October 20, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a vaccine mandate that would require all municipal employees to show proof of vaccination before October 29.

Employees who failed to show proof of at least one dose would be placed on unpaid leave. On November 1, around 9,000 workers who refused to get vaccinated were put on unpaid leave.

“There is no greater privilege than serving the people of New York City, and that privilege comes with a responsibility to keep yourself and your community safe,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We have led the way against COVID-19 – from fighting for the right to vaccinate frontline workers, to providing nation-leading incentives, to creating the Key to NYC mandate. As we continue our recovery for all of us, city workers have been a daily inspiration. Now is the time for them to show their city the path out of this pandemic once and for all."

Around 94 percent of the city’s 378,000 employees are now vaccinated, according to the mayor’s office.

The order to block the vaccine mandate came days after Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a mandate requiring all private-sector employees to be vaccinated by December 27. The hearing will not impact this mandate.