NYPD cops who aren't vaccinated are ordered to wear masks indoors AND outdoors or face disciplinary action
The NYPD will require unvaccinated cops to wear face masks both inside and outside in response to the Delta variant surge, according to a new report.
The new guidance for cops was rolled out in an administrative bulletin on Tuesday night that said violations would be met with unspecified discipline, the New York Post reported.
'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,' the bulletin read.
The NYPD suspended solo patrols last summer amid widespread unrest and protests over police practices, so it is unlikely that officers would be alone in their vehicles while on duty.
The NYPD will require unvaccinated cops to wear face masks both inside and outside in new rules. Above, an NYPD traffic enforcement agent wears a mask last March
The new policy does make allowances for temporarily removing masks while 'consuming food, drinking beverages, adjusting the face coverings due to temperature or to correct a breathing condition.'
The bulletin did not specify what the punishment would be for violating mask rules, saying only that 'appropriate disciplinary action will be taken for unvaccinated members found not wearing a face covering when required.'
The unions that represent New York cops have not yet commented publicly on the new rule, but one police source praised the change, telling the Post that is 'for the sake of humanity.'
The NYPD has struggled with vaccine uptake among its ranks, with only an estimated 43 percent of the uniformed and civilian employees in the department now fully vaccinated.
The department does fall under Mayor Bill de Blasio's vaccine mandate for all city employees, meaning cops will have to either get vaccinated by September 13 or show a weekly negative test for COVID-19.
The new mask guidance for cops was rolled out in an administrative bulletin on Tuesday night that said violations would be met with unspecified discipline
Last month, the CDC revised its mask guidelines to recommend indoor masking in areas of high transmission, which currently includes New York City and much of the rest of the country.
The mask rules for cops come as New York struggles with a surge in cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.
New York City has averaged about 2,000 new cases of the coronavirus a day over the past seven days, up from around 200 a day in late June.
On Tuesday the city implemented a new order, the first of its kind, requiring proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and gyms or fitness centers.
De Blasio shows a list of businesses that now must demand proof of vaccination to enter
The vaccination mandate, which de Blasio announced two weeks ago, aims to persuade more people to get vaccinated with the threat of missing out on city amenities.
'We do not want to go back to restrictions,' de Blasio said at a virtual news conference Tuesday. 'The key to our progress is vaccination.'
At least 5.2 million of the city's 8.8 million residents have gotten at least one shot, with nearly 5 million fully vaccinated.
Businesses have a grace period until September 13 to begin implementing vaccine checkpoints before facing $1,000 fines, but many bars and restaurants are already demanding proof of vaccination to enter.