As states continue to open up and try to get back to some sense of normalcy, New York City’s left-leaning mayor Bill de Blasio has warned residents that the “voluntary phase is over” when it comes to COVID-19 regulations.
De Blasio shared on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ that they need a major push to get people vaccinated, even adding that they need to shake people at this point. It’s almost as if all science is out the door as such requirements will be challenged in court. No medicine is “universally safe” and no reasonable person would argue that. NY logic is nothing but political and power-grabbing.
“We’ve got to shake people at this point and say, come on now. We tried voluntary. You know, we could not have been more kind and compassionate as a country. Free testing, everywhere you turn, incentives. Friendly, warm embrace. The voluntary phase is over,” de Blasio said.
The New York Mayor went on to explain why he believes vaccines should no longer be voluntary. He said it’s time for mandates because it’s the only way to “protect our people” from the virus and knock out the variant. He said a mask doesn’t arrest the progress of the COVID-19 variant, but vaccination does.
But the power-grabbing doesn’t end there. Mayor de Blasio also announced that he will start requiring all New York City employees to be vaccinated or test weekly for COVID-19 in order to get unvaccinated workers to step up and get the jab. He even tried to threaten Big Tech Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, saying that they are “complicit” in the spread of COVID-19 and vaccine disinformation. At this point, “disinformation” just means anything a liberal disagrees with.
“On Sept. 13 the entire city workforce will be mandated under the COVID safety mandate to either get vaccinated, which is far preferable or get tested once a week. This is about our recovery… this is about keeping people safe. On Sept. 13 which is the first full day of school, every single city employee will be expected to be either vaccinated or be tested weekly,” De Blasio announced.
De Blasio emphasized that there will be “very tough consequences” for unvaccinated people and said mask-wearing for them will be a job requirement. Commissioner of Labor Relations Renee Campion even said they can suspend employees without pay if unvaccinated people refuse to comply with mask mandates. Gov. Ron De Santis was one of the first to ban vaccine mandates in Florida, warning people that it would create two classes of society. Looks like he was right.
But even unions are pushing back against the NY mandate, with District Council 37, the largest public employee union, insisting on meeting at the table to bargain. Executive Director Henry Garrido says he encourages everyone to get vaccinated, but that weekly testing is clearly subject to mandatory bargaining. He called New York City a “union town” and said that cannot be ignored.
De Blasio has continued to push additional measures to get the city vaccinated including the NYC COVID Safe App, which is similar to the state’s Excelsior vaccine passport app.
But the free market will always win out and more people are leaving New York City than coming. The city will eventually change its policies when enough people leave the Big Apple. But De Blasio will keep pushing his non-science skit until then. Or when he’s voted out of office.
