NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – For indoor dining, fitness and entertainment in New York City, people will soon be required to provide proof of vaccination.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the “Key to NYC Pass” on Tuesday.
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“When you hear these words, I want you to imagine that someone who is vaccinated can do all of the amazing things that are available in New York City,” he said. “Unfortunately, if you are not vaccinated, there are many things you cannot take part in.”
The mandate is similar to that given in France and Italy last month, but the first of its kind in the US
The mayor said it will apply to both workers and customers in these indoor spaces. It will be phased in from August 16 and fully enforced by September 13.
“It is time people saw vaccinations as literally necessary to lead good, fulfilling and healthy lives,” added de Blasio.
BREAKING: NYC requires vaccination for entry to bars, nightclubs, restaurants, gyms, etc. Will go into effect in September.
This is a critical measure to slow the rapid spread of Delta here and to create an incentive for vaccination. Https://t.co/QIWoRu2gGj
– Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) August 3, 2021
The chairman of the New York City Council’s health committee, Mark Levine, had pushed for the order.
“We have learned over the past year and a half that our choice is to act now or to face more difficult options,” he said during the mayor’s press conference. “I’m really optimistic that this will just kick off the people on the fence finally having to do the right thing to protect themselves, their families, their communities, and get the vaccine.”
Several companies have already started requiring vaccinations for employees and customers, including Equinox and Soul Cycle.
The New York City Hospitality Alliance said the policy was “a very difficult step, but could ultimately prove to be an essential step”.
“Requiring vaccine requirements for restaurant and bar staff and customers to work and dine indoors is a very difficult step, but ultimately it can prove to be an essential step in protecting public health and ensuring that New York City does not Restrictions returns and orders closes which would mean once again absolutely devastating small businesses that have not yet recovered from the pandemic, “wrote Executive Director Andrew Rigie.
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“We know that a mandatory vaccine requirement will pose economic and operational challenges for restaurants, especially in communities with lower vaccination rates and reluctance, but it will also reduce the burden restaurants and bars face in voluntarily implementing this policy.
“While this requirement is far from ideal, we now need the government to support restaurants, bars and workers with clear and fair policies and a comprehensive information and education program, while introducing more guidelines to support the recovery of the industry.”
New York City also requires all city employees to get vaccinated or undergo weekly tests by September 13th school, and all new employees are required to provide proof of vaccination.
The city has stopped issuing a mask mandate, but the mayor and health commissioner say they “strongly recommend” everyone to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
Health experts say the delta variant leads to increasing case numbers. The latest indicators show that new cases across the city are accelerating at 1,200 per day and doubling in the last 10 days.
“My husband’s family died. People have died from COVID, “said Carmen Fuarez John Dias of CBS2.
The latest high profile case is New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, who tested positive on Monday and will miss the game on Tuesday.
“They couldn’t do that well without their ace pitcher,” said Bronx resident Mike Kern.
While Cole’s vaccination status is unknown, the Bronx community that calls Yankee Stadium home – zip code 10451 – is below the city’s average of 55.82% with 49.35% fully vaccinated.
Free Yankee tickets in exchange for the vaccine didn’t seem enticing to many on Tuesday, but one man said his fear of the Delta variant caused him to get the vaccination.
“There’s a lot going on in the whole country and I don’t want to get sick,” said the man named Frank.
He said he had COVID earlier this year.
“When I had it, I felt so sick that I thought I was going to die and people would die,” he said.
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New Yorkers can still dine outside without a vaccination certificate.
