New York Police Department (NYPD) officers are being told to wear masks indoors, outdoors, and in department-owned videos if they are not vaccinated and will face “disciplinary action” if they refuse, according to a report from the New York Post.
According to the Post, the “department’s new guidance for masking was shared with the entire police force Tuesday evening in an administrative bulletin that spelled out instructions for officers to provide proof of vaccination with the NYPD’s Medical Division.”
“Members who do not have official proof of COVID-19 vaccination on file with the Medical Division must wear a face covering at all times while working, whether indoors or outside, including while driving in Department vehicles,” as stated by the bulletin, which was first obtained by the Post.
Limited exceptions for the initiative to prevent further spread of the coronavirus Delta variant include food consumption and and shifting the mask to adjust temperature or to “correct a breathing condition.”
“These members may temporarily remove their masks when engaging in reasonable activities such as consuming food, drinking beverages, adjusting the face coverings due to temperature or to correct a breathing condition,” the bulletin noted, adding that “appropriate disciplinary action will be taken for unvaccinated members found not wearing a face covering when required.”
Regardless of vaccination status, other cops, including those that are vaccinated, have to “mask up if they are in elevators, in schools, on public transit, in homeless shelters, jails, nursing homes or hospitals,” as reported by the Post.
The bulletin also informs NYPD officers that they can apply for a “reasonable accommodation allowing them not to wear a face covering” through the EEOD Reasonable Accommodation Unit.
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