9,000 NYC Workers on Leave as Vaccine Mandate Takes Effect

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and KAREN MATTHEWS, The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — About 9,000 New York City municipal workers were put on unpaid leave for refusing to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate that took effect Monday and thousands of city firefighters have called out sick in an apparent protest over the requirement.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said about 9 in 10 city workers covered by the mandate have gotten vaccinated and there have been no disruptions to city services as a result of staffing shortages. New York has more than 300,000 city employees.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said firehouses remained open but 18 of the department's 350 units were out of service and "many units are understaffed."

Here Are The 23 Funniest Governor Andrew Cuomo Memes on the Internet

On Tuesday, August 10 Governor Andrew Cuomo gave his two week notice to the people of New York. He announced that in light of sexual harassment allegations and a scathing report on the topic from New York Attorney General Letitia James, he would be resigning effective Tuesday, August 24.

From the moment those words were uttered from his mouth, the memes began to fly. We were there to catch them.