Councilperson James Solomon Calls on School Board to Institute Mandatory Vaccination for All Employees to Ensure Safe Re-Opening , Also Presses Mayor Fulop to Mandate Vaccines for all Municipal Employees 

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Today, Jersey City Ward E Councilperson James Solomon called on Superintendent Franklin Walker and Mayor Steven Fulop to mandate that all school board and municipal employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine or submit to weekly testing to ensure schools reopen safely and in-person this fall.

Commenting on his calls for new precautions Solomon said, “Vaccination remains our number one tool to combat this pandemic. Science shows that the vaccines are safe and highly effective at reducing the spread and severity of cases caused by the Delta Variant. Jersey City should follow the example set by President Biden and Mayor Bhalla to ensure that we are doing everything in our power to get our kids back in classrooms safely this fall, and that the public at large is protected from this new wave of disease. We can’t have a repeat of last school year. We can’t wait until this new wave is upon us to react, we have to be proactive.”

The highly contagious Delta Variant of the COVID-19 virus threatens to bring a new wave of the pandemic crashing down on Jersey City. Solomon’s call for new precautions comes as President Joe Biden instituted new rules last week that require federal employees to show proof of vaccination or weekly testing.

It also seeks to bring Jersey City into line with policy in other cities in Hudson County. Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla signed a similar order last week to protect his city’s recovery.

Unlike some other Hudson County public school systems, Jersey City Public Schools struggled to re-open classrooms to in-person learning last spring. This new effort to mandate vaccinations would make it easier to ensure that schools are able to open safely.

Councilperson Solomon has been a leading voice in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the outbreak, he pushed Mayor Fulop to cancel large gatherings such as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and close non-essential businesses in a move that ultimately saved lives. He developed science-based policy proposals to guide JC’s response to Covid’s second-wave and wrote and passed laws to support local restaurants and small businesses. Furthermore, he led a “Senior Cards” initiative and published a “How to Help Guide,” to build community during a time when many residents felt extremely isolated.