NEW YORK -- New York City will require all municipal workers to get coronavirus vaccines by September 13 or face weekly COVID-19 testing.
“It means all city agencies,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “September is when the rubber hits the road and this is when we have to make the difference.”
The rule is expected to affect about 340,000 city employees, including teachers. firefighters and police officers.
"This is about our recovery. This is about what we need to do to bring back New York City," de Blasio said. "This is about keeping people safe."
Renee Campion, the city's labor relations commissioner said if employees refuse to comply, they can't be at work and and won't be paid.
The United Federation of Teachers, which has a 60% vaccination rate, issued a statement in support of the mayor's mandate.
"Vaccination and testing have helped keep schools among the safest places in the city," the teacher's union said. "This approach puts the emphasis on vaccination but still allows for personal choice and provides additional safeguards through regular testing. There are still many things to do before we are prepared to safely open our schools in September."
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The city's largest municipal workers union, DC-37, issued a statement warning the mayor that a weekly testing requirement is subject to mandatory bargaining.
The move announced Monday by the mayor follows last week's announcement mandating vaccinations or weekly testing for all employees at city-run hospitals and health clinics beginning Aug. 2, as the city battles a rise in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly-contagious delta variant.
"The Delta Variant is deadly and this city is taking it seriously. Today I’m announcing that EVERY City government employee will be required to provide proof of vaccination or submit a weekly #COVID test," de Blasio tweeted.
Additionally, 45,000 city government employees who work in congregate and residential settings will need to be vaccinated or begin weekly testing on Aug. 16, according to the mayor.
The number of vaccine doses being given out daily in the city has dropped to less than 18,000, down from a peak of more than 100,000 in early April. About 65% of adults in the city are fully vaccinated.
De Blasio said unvaccinated city employees will be required to wear masks indoors at all times.
The Associated Press contributed this report.