NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Mayor Bill de Blasio credited the city's vaccine mandates, including for public workers and to access indoor activities, for pushing a 45% immunization increase across the five boroughs — allowing the city to move on from the pandemic.
"Mandates work. They help keep people safe," de Blasio told CNN on Wednesday morning. "We put mandates in place about two months ago for public employees, for indoor dining and a variety of things, and since then we have seen a 45% increase in vaccinations — 1.3 million more doses because we have mandates and now we are getting out of the COVID-19 era of this city."
Amid a highly contested vaccine mandate for public health care workers that went into effect on Monday, de Blasio noted 92% are now vaccinated — a 7% increase since last week.
Now with a federal court of appeals decision allowing the city's Department of Education vaccine mandate to proceed Friday at 5 p.m., de Blasio said 7,000 teachers and schools employees have already had their jabs with another 3,000 vaccinated in the past 24 hours.
"We have got to end the COVID era," he said. "We have to put this behind us. We can't keep living this way."
Despite concerns over a staff shortage if members do not comply, de Blasio said he is not worried.
He seemed to even threaten hiring substitute teaches "who are ready, willing and able, who are vaccinated, who are going to take those roles immediately" if employees remain resistant.
"The bottom line is if you refuse and continue to refuse, then we can't have you with our kids. We gotta protect our kids," he added. "On Monday, we're going to have a school system of a million kids where every adult in the building is going to be vaccinated — with at least one dose. It's going to create an entirely safe environment."
More than 60% of city residents of all ages have been fully vaccinated, according to city health data.
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