NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio On Vaccines: ‘The Voluntary Phase Is Over’

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Mayor Bill de Blasio has a message for New Yorkers resisting a COVID vaccine: "The voluntary phase is over."

Mayor Bill de Blasio has a message for some New Yorkers resisting vaccines: “The voluntary phase is over.”

The obtrusive threat was delivered in response to a panel discussion of vaccine mandates on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe.’

De Blasio began by referencing a “major” push by the city to get kids over the age of 12 vaccinated.

“If my kids were going to school in September, I would be running to get them vaccinated right now,” he said, swiftly transitioning into a suggestion that vaccines should be a requirement.

“We’ve got to shake people at this point and say, come on now. We tried voluntary,” the mayor said.

“You know, we could not have been more kind and compassionate as a country. Free testing, everywhere you turn, incentives. Friendly, warm embrace,” added de Blasio.

“The voluntary phase is over.”

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Vaccines Should No Longer Be Voluntary

De Blasio continued to explain why he believes vaccines should no longer be voluntary.

“We can keep doing those things,” he said of offering incentives. “I’m not saying shut it down.”

But, de Blasio added: “I’m saying voluntary alone doesn’t work. It’s time for mandates because it’s the only way to protect our people.”

The Democratic mayor announced on Monday that city employees would be required to get vaccinated or face weekly testing.

“We have the right as an employer to guarantee the health and safety of our employees and everyone they serve,” he said.

De Blasio commented on that declaration on MSNBC, referring to it as “positive pressure” to acquire the vaccine, adding “we need to look at every form of mandate and that’s the public sector and private sector.”

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Threats To Force Vaccines

Considering he despises New York Governor Andrew Cuomo both personally and politically, De Blasio’s threats over the ‘voluntary’ phase of vaccines being over sound very similar.

“We’ve got to shake people,” for example, sounds an awful lot like Cuomo’s recent threat that “we have to knock on those doors” and “put (people) in cars” and “get that vaccine in their arm.”

Cuomo’s tune has changed significantly since the vaccine was first delivered by the Trump administration.

In September of last year, the Democrat governor was concerned that the FDA under Trump had rushed the vaccine, and indicated he would withhold it from New Yorkers until his own panel of experts could approve it.

“Frankly, I’m not going to trust the federal government’s opinion, and I wouldn’t recommend [vaccines] to New Yorkers based on the federal government’s opinion,” he said.

But trust them, you will, whether you want to or not, now that Biden is in office.

De Blasio and Cuomo’s comments come as the Biden administration is developing their own vaccine mandates.

The President is expected to announce on Thursday a series of incentives to spur new vaccinations, as well as making vaccines mandatory for federal employees.

“That’s under consideration right now, but if you’re not vaccinated you’re not nearly as smart as I thought you were,” he said when asked about the mandate.

 

 

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By Rusty Weiss

Rusty Weiss has been covering politics for over 15 years. His writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, Fox... More about Rusty Weiss

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