Democrat NY Governor Andrew Cuomo may be gone, but his replacement, Gov. Kathy Hochul, appears to be trying to be almost as bad from a policy perspective.
They are going all-in trying to impose vaccine mandates on state workers. School staff and state healthcare workers have to provide proof that they have at least one vaccine jab by Monday. As we reported yesterday, the school staffers got a reprieve from a federal appeals court putting temporary restraining order on the mandate, with a three-judge panel’s final decision probably this week.
But not only is New York trying to force the vaccine on people — firing them if they don’t comply — they are going the extra mile to punish you if you don’t, as well.
Hochul has announced that if you are fired for not getting vaccinated, you would not be able to get unemployment insurance. And she announced that just two days before the deadline, so if you thought that you could buck their edict and then have unemployment, you’re going to be out of luck. The only way out of it is if you get a “valid, doctor-approved request for medical accommodation,” according to the Daily Mail.
That means, effectively, either you take the jab or you’re out of work with no money at all.
Now, I would question if she can legally do that, and I imagine that people will be questioning that.
But, it shows that this is all about control.
The number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in New York City are decreasing, according to the New York City health department.
The court case only applies to New York City teachers; state hospital workers still have to prove they’ve been vaccinated and will lose their unemployment health insurance if they’re fired for being unvaccinated.
Hochul addressed a potential shortage of hospital workers when the mandate goes into effect with a multi-pronged plan to backfill positions.
As part of the governor’s plan, an executive order would be used to declare a state of emergency to increase workforce supply.
Qualified health care professionals who licensed in other states or countries, recent graduates, retired and formerly practicing health care professionals would be able to practice in New York State.
Other options include deployment of medically-trained National Guard members, Hochul said.
If you don’t think that having to replace potentially thousands of people wouldn’t result in chaos, she’s got to have her head examined.
Many blasted her decision to declare such an “emergency.”
Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) blasted her for this move, saying it showed a “massive failure” of approach.
To make a political point, Kathy Hochul is apparently willing to throw our healthcare system further into chaos by replacing all unvaccinated workers Monday after 5pm. This is a MASSIVE failure of leadership that’s already harming the health of New Yorkers.
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) September 25, 2021
This is remarkable: Hochul is preparing to declare an emergency due to an expected shortage of health-care workers — a shortage that wouldn’t exist but for the state’s own policy. https://t.co/vGTdKmTbuB pic.twitter.com/a9TW1F5012
— Bill Hammond (@NYHammond) September 25, 2021
What if an actual disaster happens while this is going on? pic.twitter.com/d4cLHOMk0m
— Bill Hammond (@NYHammond) September 25, 2021
The Democrats clearly don’t care if they throw the state into chaos with all this.
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