A Staten Island judge denied a police union's request to temporarily halt the implementation of the city's vaccine mandate that is set to take effect November 1.
Additionally, they noted that the department's "Vax or Test" program has been effective in ensuring public health while simultaneously providing privacy to individual medical decisions.
The haphazard rollout of this mandate has created chaos in the NYPD," PBA President Patrick J. Lynch said in a statement.
"City Hall has given no reason that a vaccine mandate with a weekly testing option is no longer enough to protect police officers and the public, especially while the number of COVID-19 cases continues to fall.".
It is the first such legal action taken against the mandate since it was announced last week by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The policy requires police officers, firefighters and other municipal workers get at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Friday or be placed on unpaid leave.
The PBA, which represents over 24,000 current NYPD officers, contends that getting the vaccine is a personal medical decision. »