Garbage piles up in New York to protest vaccine demand

Garbage piled up this Thursday (28) in many New York neighborhoods, due to what authorities consider a protest against Mandatory vaccine against Covid for all municipal employeeswhich takes effect on the 1st of November.

“It is unacceptable,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said, declaring that the action “will have consequences.” “People may not agree with the decision, but this decision is for the health and safety of the citizens of New York,” he declared.

On October 20, the city announced that after teachers and health professionals, other municipal public employees, including police, firefighters and garbage collectors, will have to submit a vaccination certificate to get employment from November.

“It’s not fair to your peers, it’s not fair to your neighbors, it’s not fair to the citizens of New York,” he told the strikers in front of the press.

As of Wednesday, 75% of New York police officers and 64% of firefighters have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while that number in the health services has reached 67%, according to data cited by the mayor.

De Blasio was optimistic and hoped that “many will be vaccinated by the deadline”.

To encourage vaccination among employees in one of the cities hardest hit by COVID-19New York City has promised $500 (about 2,800 R$) in the next payment to anyone who receives a dose by October 29.

About 9,500 people work to collect and recycle about 12,000 tons of waste produced by 8.8 million people per day, according to the municipal sanitation department.

The first neighborhoods affected by this covert strike were Brooklyn and Staten Island.

Anticipating that many employees will not work on Monday (1) because they have not been vaccinated, Mayor of BlasioAt the end of his second term, he promised that the citizens of New York would be safe.

The city’s largest fire union warned on Wednesday – after a judge denied the mayor’s order to repeal it – that New York faced a “real crisis”.

Major services are preparing to increase working hours and even suspend rest days. The fire department expects a 20% decrease in the city’s ambulance service and a shutdown of five of its units on Monday.

“We will use all means at our disposal, including overtime, mutual assistance from other EMS providers, and significant changes to our staff’s work shifts,” Fire Chief Daniel said in a statement Wednesday.

Prison workers have until December to file a vaccination certificate due to the staff shortage already affecting the Rikers Island prison complex.