NYC businesses should mandate COVID vaccinations for workers: de Blasio

Health care workers receive their second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital, in Bronxville, New York, on Jan. 8, 2021.…

Health care workers receive their second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital, in Bronxville, New York, on Jan. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Kevin Hagen, File)

by: Associated Press

Posted: Jul 24, 2021 / 08:38 AM EDT

Updated: Jul 24, 2021 / 08:42 AM EDT

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NEW YORK — New York City’s private sector businesses should institute vaccine requirements for employees, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday.

The “limits of a purely voluntary system” have been reached, the mayor said.

De Blasio on Wednesday announced a policy that would require workers in New York City-run hospitals and health clinics to either get vaccinated or get tested weekly.

During an appearance on WNYC radio on Friday, de Blasio told host Brian Lehrer the city’s private hospitals, as well as other private employers, should follow suit.

Daily COVID-19 infections in New York have soared 327% since June 25, with most of the illnesses occurring among unvaccinated people as the extemely contagious delta variant rapidly spreads.