What you should know
- Beginning Dec. 27, New York City’s vaccine mandate will be expanded to all private sector workers, a move that Mayor Bill de Blasio called the first of its kind in the nation when he announced changes that looming on Monday.
- The mandate is getting tougher in other ways, too: Two-dose testing will be required instead of one, and kids ages 5 to 11 will need to show proof of one for indoor dining and other activities starting December 14.
- While some people came to the call to get vaccinated after Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement, various business leaders won’t give in so easily; They say they are surprised and want it to be delayed until Eric Adams is in charge and can make his own decision.
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NEW YORK – A wave of people, from adults working in the private sector to young children, who had been putting off getting vaccinated against COVID-19 for whatever reason, began lining up for vaccines Monday, hours after Mayor Bill de Blasio will announce the strictest vaccination in the nation. The vaccine mandate would take effect in New York City in a matter of weeks.
The expansions outlined by the Democratic mandate vaccines for the entire private sector workforce (the municipal workforce has been under the mandate for some time), increase the required dose test to two instead of one and add 5 children to 11 years to the list of people who need to take tests when dining indoors, attending entertainment events, going to gyms or other activities.
Children in that age group only need to show proof of a dose starting December 14. Anyone 12 years and older will need to show proof of two doses (unless they received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine) starting December 27, which is also when the private sector mandate goes into effect. . The city is expected to release detailed guidelines for small businesses on that front next week.
Meanwhile, the announcement has already had some impact.
Dionysus Prendes of The Bronx says expanding the mandate to all New York City private sector workers, affecting 184,000 businesses as of Dec. 27, motivated him to get the vaccine.
“I was trying to avoid it a little bit because of the health conditions. I don’t have anything too crazy, just something with my heart. I got the injection and honestly, I didn’t feel anything,” Prendes said.
8-year-old Andrea Caraballo also received her first dose on Monday. She says it hurt a bit, but now she feels “really safe.”
De Blasio had hinted late last week that changes to the city’s vaccine policies could come soon, given the latest challenges posed in the city’s ongoing COVID war. He says more measures may also be imminent when it comes to vaccines.
While nearly 82% of New York City adults are fully vaccinated, business leaders say they feel unprepared and some say they plan to take the problem to court.
Some business leaders say they are surprised, while others say the timing is unfair as the heyday of the holiday season approaches, and they want the term delayed until Mayor-elect Eric Adams takes office on 1 from January. Adams said Monday that he will review the term and make his own decision, but at this point, the term is expected to be an attempt for the duration of De Blasio’s term.
The mayor says it is necessary to combat the triple threat of the appearance of the Omicron variant, the continuing danger posed by COVID spikes related to the delta and the holidays. Others are not so sure.
“The airlines are full. The restaurants are full. Is this an emergency? Or is it a problem? There is a difference and I think the courts are going to have to decide that,” said Lou Gelormino, a lawyer who represented the bar. Staten Island that defied city lockdown rules in December 2020.
US appeals courts blocked President Joe Biden’s broad vaccination or testing mandate for all private employers with at least 100 employees last month. So it remains to be seen whether de Blasio’s new term will survive the local courts, although the administration seems confident that it will prevail as previous versions have.
“We have Ómicron as a new factor. We have the colder weather that will really create additional challenges with the delta variant, we have Christmas gatherings,” De Blasio said when announcing the mandate. “In New York City we have decided to use a preemptive strike to do something really bold to stop the growth of COVID and the dangers it is causing us all.”
