Thousands of New York City workers marched through the streets Monday against the COVID-19 mandate.

We're days away from the new vaccine mandate going into effect, requiring all city workers to get the coronavirus vaccine by this Friday or be placed on unpaid leave until they do so. The mandate requires city workers to have at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine.

As they chanted, protesters also held up signs that read "My Body, My Choice." Some workers came dressed in uniform, standing in solidarity in hope of sending a message to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The mandate will affect more than 160,000 city workers who must show proof of vaccination by Friday at 5 p.m.
The mayor says that as of Monday, 73% of city workers have been vaccinated but that there's still 44,000 employees who are not.

Protesters say as the deadline approaches, the city is sure to feel an impact without them. The mayor says if the city employees choose to remain unvaccinated, city agencies are prepared for staffing changes.

"Every commissioner and their team has talked through different options. Obviously, use of overtime is an example, changing deployments, changing some priorities. We've got a lot of tools here that we can use," said de Blasio.