Proof of vaccination will be required in New York to access the interior of restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues, Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday, making his city the first in the United States to create a passport. vaccine.
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This device, called “Key to NYC pass”, “will require the vaccination of employees and customers of indoor restaurants, sports halls and theaters”, explained the mayor during a press point, specifying that it would require “at least one dose” of vaccine.
“If you are vaccinated (…), you have the key, you can open the door. But if you are not vaccinated, unfortunately you will not be able to participate in a lot of activities, ”added Bill de Blasio.
He said the device, which to some extent resembles the health pass implemented in France in August, would be launched in New York on August 16, but that the first checks to enforce it would take place from September 13.
For the past two weeks, the mayor and the governor of the state of New York, Andrew Cuomo, have multiplied the announcements to strengthen the vaccination of officials and recommend the wearing of masks, in the face of the resurgence in the number of COVID cases due to the variant Delta.
If some unions have criticized this new measure, the New York association of restaurateurs, the New York City Hospitality Alliance, welcomed it.
This will “pose economic and logistical challenges” for restaurants, but could help “ensure that New York is not again under restrictions and closures, which would devastate small businesses,” she said in a statement.
The move comes as the United States faces a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
After a successful start, the US vaccination campaign has slowed down especially in traditionally conservative regions of the South and Midwest, as well as among the youngest, impoverished, and ethnic minority populations.
This delay, combined with the proliferation of the Delta variant, has exploded the average number of daily cases, which now exceeds 70,000 and is increasing rapidly.
Every day, hospitals across the country admit an average of 6,200 COVID-19 patients per day, and more than 300 people die from the disease.
The United States has, however, seen a rebound in the vaccination rate in recent weeks, and reached the rate of 70% of adults on Monday who received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, almost a month after the target date. set by President Biden.
In New York, a city of more than 8 million inhabitants, 71.8% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to city hall figures.
Joe Biden will speak Tuesday afternoon to once again hammer home the need for Americans to receive their doses.
The Democratic president has also already taken a series of measures to boost vaccination in the United States, including the obligation for millions of federal employees either to be vaccinated or to wear the mask continuously and to submit. to regular tests.
The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), the main public health agency in the United States, have reinstated their recommendation to wear masks indoors in high-risk areas, even for people who have been vaccinated.
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