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On Thursday, Adams laid out his winter COVID-19 strategy, which includes keeping in place the city's current private sector vaccine mandate. Adams told Stephanopoulos he is also thinking about requiring city workers to get a booster shot.

Adams also reached out to those who still remain unvaccinated.

\"I say to those who are not vaccinated: stop it,\" Adams said Sunday. \"It's time to get vaccinated. It's time to have the booster shots. You're endangering yourself and you're endangering the public and your family as well.\"

With schools returning from winter break this week, Stephanopoulos asked Adams what message he has for New York City parents who fear sending their children back to school during this current surge.

\"I say to them, fear not sending them back,\" Adams said. \"The stats are clear: The safest place for children is inside a school.\"

Noting that \"we've lost almost two years of education,\" Adams added that \"we want to create a safe environment with testing.\"

\"We're going to identify the children that are exposed,\" he continued. \"We're going to remove them from that environment, and the numbers show the mere fact that a child is exposed in a classroom does not mean that entire classroom is exposed.\"

Asked if he will require teachers, police officers and other city workers to get booster shot, New York City Mayor Eric Adams tells @GStephanopoulos that is \"our next move and decision.\" https://t.co/ia7sCrKz36 pic.twitter.com/9vwfDnIsgx

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 2, 2022

Pressed by Stephanopoulos on why New York City is not requiring testing for students to return to school, which is being done in other major cities, Adams responded that the decision lies with the governor and that he's working with the tools he currently has available him.

\"I think that would be a great idea,\" Adams said. \"But unfortunately, the governor made the decision, and I'm going to follow the governor. We're going to be partners on this to make sure we make our school system safe.\"

Another challenge that Adams faces is the rise of violent crime, including nearly 500 murders last year in New York City. Adams explained his plan to address the surge of crime, saying it's important to have balance that's not only about heavy-handed policing, but also public safety and justice.

\"What we do long-term, and what we do right now, we're going to go after gangs. We're going to take down some of the large gangs in our city,\" Adams said. \"Whenever you see a shooting take place, look at the next line: 'gang-related.' We're going to zero in on gangs. We're going to reinstitute a plainclothes anti-gun unit and zero in on those guns.\"

Adams has also made a point to participate in public transportation in his first days as mayor. He arrived to the \"This Week\" interview via Citi Bike and took the subway to work on his first official day as mayor on Saturday. During his subway commute, Adams called 911 to report an assault that occurred on the sidewalk below the train platform. The new mayor also on Saturday visited a police officer who was shot while sleeping in his car between shifts.

Asked if he had learned anything new in the 36 hours since he had become mayor, Adams said he'll be leading his city from the frontlines.

\"Generals don't lead their troops from the back, they lead their troops from the front,\" Adams said. \"I'm going to lead my city into this victory from the front, and people tell me this is a difficult job. Darn it, I want it to be a difficult job. You know, it's a difficult job being a cop, riding the subway trains in the '80s. It's going to be difficult now.\"

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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