12K NYC Workers Seek Exemption From COVID Vaccine Mandate: Mayor

NEW YORK CITY — Scores of New York City municipal workers sought religious or medical exemptions to a coronavirus vaccine mandate that requires them to a jab or lose paychecks.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that 12,400 "reasonable accommodation" requests by employees will be reviewed by city officials.

He said 400 so far have been granted. Employees whose requests are denied will once again face the choice to get vaccinated or go without pay.

“Based on everything we're seeing here, most people will ultimately make the decision to get vaccinated, and we welcome that,” he said.

Patch requested a breakdown of accommodation request by agency but mayor's officials have yet to respond.

Nearly 28,000 city workers have received a coronavirus vaccine since de Blasio first announced a strict mandate for employees in late October.

The city's overall workforce vaccination rate stands at 93 percent, and just 2,600 employees are out without pay. De Blasio has repeatedly said he expects the number of unvaccinated workers to drop further.

“And since the time the deadline officially passed, more people have been vaccinated in the workforce — over 8,000 city employees have gotten vaccinated since then," he said.

But vaccination rates vary widely by department, which could create problems if outstanding "reasonable accommodation" requests aren't granted and employees refuse to get shots.

The NYPD, for instance, only has about 30 officers on unpaid leave, Commissioner Dermot Shea said last week. The remainder, who number in the thousands, have requested reasonable accommodation and continue to work, he said.

The department is 86 percent vaccinated, according to mayor's office data.