NEW YORK — All New York City public school teachers and other staffers will have to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Officials announced the new policy Monday, as the nation's largest school system prepares for classes to start next month.
According to the order, all 148,000 school district employees and contractors who work for the schools will need to get their first dose of a vaccine by Sept. 27.
The city previously said teachers, like other city employees, would have to get the shots or get tested weekly for the virus. The new policy marks the first flat-out vaccination mandate for city workers in the nation's most populous city.
While the city did not share the penalty for refusing a vaccine, the previous vaccinate-or-test policy had provisions for unpaid suspensions for workers who didn't comply.
The announcement came the same day that the Food and Drug Administration issued full approval for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 16 and older. The full approval of the vaccine could open the door for vaccine mandates to be issued by local governments and businesses across the country.