Ordinary New Yorkers who have lost their jobs due to the city’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate cheered Bronx Mayor Adams on Thursday over his decision to grant exemptions for professional athletes and star performers, but not for them.
Unvaccinated Harlem resident Elissa Embry, 43, fought back tears as she told The Post how she was sent home last week after a pre-season orientation for a waitress job at the Mets’ Citi Field, where Adams announced his controversial move earlier in the same day.
“I’m not as important as the Met, because the Met will fill Citi Field, which fills New York’s coffers,” she said.
“They don’t care about me, a little old man who pays middle class taxes. The elusive “them” don’t care that I was out of work and that I was on the verge of a breakdown.”
A married mother of a 2-year-old daughter said she was not vaccinated because she had two miscarriages and was concerned that the shot could increase the risk of another abortion.
Embry also said she tested positive for coronavirus antibodies and was looking forward to returning to her job at Pat LaFrida’s Chop House in Citi Field, where she was earning up to $500 a game.
“I thought we were all here at Citi Field, a big team. This would be my fifth season,” she said.
Elissa Embry was sent home last week after her pre-season orientation for a job as a waitress at Citi Field because she hadn’t been vaccinated. Christopher Sadowski
Her employer, food service giant Aramark, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Embry said that when she learned that Adams was providing benefits to highly paid athletes and entertainers, “I thought to myself, this is a serious slap in the face.”
Cover of the New York Post on March 25, 2022.
“I just hit my limit,” she said, adding that she “felt betrayed enough to call” lawyer James Mermigis, who has been dubbed the “anti-lockdown lawyer” for filing pandemic-related lawsuits.
Mermigis, who said he also received calls from about 50 other workers who were fired over the vaccine mandate and wanted to sue, said: “The irony here is ridiculous.”
“You have a Citi Field employee who was sent home from briefing because she wasn’t vaccinated, and the Mets will be here in two weeks, regardless of their vaccination status,” he said.
FDNY firefighter Sophie Medina, who has been on unpaid leave since she applied for a religious exemption from the vaccination mandate in November, also said she was outraged by what she called Adams’ double standard.
“How does anyone feel when they are told that something is being done for public safety and health, and then you clearly see that people get exceptions – not based on their religion, not based on their belief system and not based on science. ? she said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men.”
FDNY firefighter Sophie Medina has been on unpaid leave since she applied for a religious exemption in November. FDNY
Members of the New York City Fire Department carry banners during a protest against the introduction of the city’s COVID-19 vaccination on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in October 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar
Adams, whose PAC received $1.5 million from Mets owner Steve Cohen for his run for mayor, was joined in his announcement by Amazin’s and Yankees executives.
He said his decision to make an exception for players like Yankee slugger Aaron Judge, who is widely considered unvaccinated, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who missed 35 home games due to the rule, and possibly a few Mets was necessary to help the Big Apple recover from the pandemic.
“To be healthy means to be healthy not only physically, but also economically,” he said.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has missed 35 home games due to being unvaccinated. AP/Phelan M. Ebenhak
Just last week, Adams downplayed local sports fans’ — and The Post’s — concerns that the city’s mandate for private sector vaccinations could harm New York’s pro teams, after months of Irving being banned from playing at Brooklyn’s Barclays. Center because he has not been vaccinated.
But on Thursday, the mayor said the provision, which exempts visiting athletes and performers, is unfair to the Big Apple and its sports teams.
“It’s about putting New York performers on a level playing field,” he said.
“Hometown players are at a disadvantage.”
On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams granted a Covid-19 vaccine exemption to professional athletes and star performers. Paul Martinka
But the city’s sweeping vaccination requirements, which led to the layoff of more than 1,400 city employees, will still apply to both municipal and private workers.
Adams has also come under fire from the city’s municipal unions and even some fellow Democratic politicians, with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens) stating, “This exemption sends the wrong signal that higher-paid workers and celebrities are valued as more important.” . than our dedicated public servants, whom I reject.”
But seasoned Democratic consultant Hank Scheinkopf called Adams’s statement politically astute.
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said the mayor’s decision “sends the wrong signal” that professional artists are more important than public servants. Gregory P. Mango
“Citizens are overwhelmed by crime, so what does Adams do? It brings entertainment back,” Scheinkopf said.
“It helps him, of course, and helps people take their minds off the main problem at the moment: crime.”
Additional report by Bernadette Hogan