New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he's keeping the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers in place, including the dozens of public-school employees accused of providing false proof of vaccination, the New York Post reports.

"I'm really disappointed to learn that there were fake vaccination cards," Adams said at a press conference Friday in Queens. "Not only is that illegal, it undermines our entire trust."

New York City workers have implored Adams' administration to end the vaccine requirement after the mayor last month announced that he would waive the prerequisite for local athletes and performers.

"This is about putting New York City-based performers on a level playing field," Adams said at a Citi Field press conference.

"It's unimaginable we treated our performers different because they lived and played for home teams. It's not acceptable," he added.

The exemption, he said, would boost the city's multibillion-dollar tourism industry.

"Today, the decision we're making, we're not making it loosely, or haphazardly. We're not doing it because there are pressures to do it. We're doing it because the city has to function. We're leading the entire country for the most part in unemployment. We're seeing unbelievable vacancies in our business district," Adams said.

Labor leaders were furious with the announcement.

"I wish the same consideration was given to all city employees, the true heroes that kept the city safe and running during the height of the pandemic," Patrick Ferraiuolo, president of the Correction Captains' Association, whose members work in local jails, told Politico.

"It doesn't make common sense," added Paul DiGiacomo, head of the Detectives' Endowment Association.

"And we're losing, in particular, the rank of the detectives, a tremendous amount of talent it takes many years to obtain in special units such as crime scene, emergency service, homicide, precinct detective squads and counterterrorism units. And it's counterproductive to the safety for the people of the city."

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