New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Tuesday the “voluntary phase” of vaccinating city employees against COVID-19 “is over.”
LISTEN TO TODAY’S PODCAST:
“Yes, we are climbing a ladder,” the leftist politician said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” after he was asked if the city will soon require all workers to take a COVID-19 vaccine. “I’m not answering ‘yes’ to your question yet.”
“But if that’s not enough,” he continued, “I think we got to be ready to climb the ladder more. We’ve got to put pressure on this situation.”
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
During a press conference Monday, de Blasio promised he will continue ratcheting up unilateral mandates on COVID-19, revealing “the entire city workforce” will be required to either be fully vaccinated by Sept. 13 — “which is far preferable” — or get tested for the virus once a week.
Additionally, he has mandated all unvaccinated city workers to resume wearing masks indoors Aug. 2, promising to “remove” and suspend without pay any staffers who don’t comply.
The mayor said incentivizing New Yorkers hasn’t been effective enough.
“We’ve got to shake people at this point and say, ‘Come on now,’” de Blasio told MSNBC. “We tried voluntary. We could not have been more kind and compassionate. Free testing, everywhere you turn, incentives, friendly, warm embrace. The voluntary phase is over.”
“We can keep doing those things,” he said of the bribing attempts. “I’m not saying shut it down. I’m saying voluntary alone doesn’t work. It’s time for mandates, because it’s the only way to protect our people.”
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***