Over 1,400 NYC employees fired for flouting Covid vaccine mandate

New York, Feb 16 (IANS) More than 1,400 municipal workers have been fired in New York City for failing to get vaccinated by last Friday, according to multiple reports citing government sources.Included are 914 teachers and other staff from the education department, 25 firefighters, 36 police officers, 101 local housing authority workers, and 40 sanitation department workers.Most of the municipal workers receiving termination notices have been placed on unpaid leave for a few months.Earlier, it was reported that around 3,000 city employees could lose their jobs after the deadline of February 11, which meant many of those government workers presented proof of vaccination in the end.Of the about 2,400 city employees affected by the February 11 deadline who had not been working or getting paid since last November, 40 per cent got vaccinated since January 31, Kate Smart, a staff member with the New York City Hall, said on Monday.Last Friday, the US Supreme Court rejected an appeal from a group of New York City school teachers, which sought to block the Covid vaccine mandate in New York City.Moreover, the fate of around 10,000 New York City employees is pending as their exemption requests on medical and religious grounds are in processing.New York City has around 3,70,000 municipal workers with the vast majority of them having been vaccinated.
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