NYPD says unvaccinated officers must wear masks on duty

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is telling unvaccinated officers that they must wear masks at all times while on duty.

“As per Mayoral Executive Order 74, members of the service who wish to remove their face coverings in the workplace must be fully vaccinated and provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to the Medical Division,” an NYPD spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill on Wednesday.

Officers who cannot provide proof of vaccination will have to wear masks indoors, outdoors and in department-owned vehicles.

Unvaccinated officers will only be allowed to “remove their masks when engaging in reasonable activities such as consuming food, drinking beverages, adjusting the face covering due to temperature, or to correct a breathing condition,” the NYPD said.

The New York Post first reported the directive.

Officers with the rank of sergeant or director are in charge of enforcing the new policy. Unvaccinated officers who don’t comply will face disciplinary actions, although the NYPD statement did not specify what type of punishments might be handed down.

Unvaccinated officers will also be subject to weekly coronavirus testing due to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) announcement that all city employees will need to get vaccinated or be tested weekly.

All officers, regardless of their vaccination status, will be required to wear masks when interacting with the public and on elevators.

All NYPD members also will be required to wear a mask while at “a pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade school, public transit, homeless shelter, correctional facility, nursing home, or health care setting.”