The tussle over vaccine mandates continues

Wu and the Boston Teachers Union have agreed on a softened version of the city’s vaccine mandate, my colleague Emma Platoff reported. It allows teachers to submit to twice-weekly testing in lieu of being vaccinated during periods of low transmission. In high-transmission periods, these teachers may need to take unpaid leave. 

Three members of City Council also requested a hearing about the vaccine mandate for city workers that is scheduled for Friday. They say the rule “is requiring a condition of work that is not in the contract” for 19,000 workers, including firefighters and policemen. (The majority of the employees in question have already received the jabs.)

In the meantime, parents are torn about the expected approval of vaccines for children ages 2 to 4 later this month. For some, the shots can’t come soon enough. Others are wary.