At a news conference on Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has made vaccinations mandatory for several indoor venues. Employees and visitors at restaurants, gyms, and recreational centers will be required to show evidence of their respective inoculation.
The new NYC vaccine mandate will be put in play from August 16, with enforcement beginning from September 13. According to De Blasio, the new NYC vaccine mandate will encourage more vaccinations, which are required to curb the spread of the contagious virus.
De Blasio aims to increase the vaccination rate by presenting a pleasant image of those who have taken their shots.
“When you hear those words, I want you to imagine the notion that, because someone’s vaccinated, they can do all the amazing things that are available in this city”,
declared De Blasio
The authorities will start checking businesses and their compliance level with the NYC vaccine mandate from September, De Blasio said. Whether you are a customer or an employee, proof of vaccination would be needed.
The affected can either give their vaccination cards or simply upload their evidence of vaccination to the Excelsior Pass application. To implement such an extensive program in play is commendable and New York has bypassed all other cities to set it in motion.
When President Joe Biden was asked about the conduciveness of this plan and if other cities should follow suit, his reply came in the form of an affirmative statement. However, the response of other cities remains to be seen as shareholders from the food industry have expressed major concerns.
A while after De Blasio announced the new mandate, massive support came from the side of the National Restaurant Association. But the organization also articulated concerns over the mandate causing “significant changes” for restaurants in the future.
Larry Lynch, who serves as the group’s senior vice president, said the process of checking vaccinations status for each person entering the establishment is far more complicated than it seems. Tilman Fertitta, the CEO of a massive restaurant chain in New York City mirrored the concerns put forth by Lynch.
Apart from enforcing a vaccination mandate, the city has also started offering $100 for anyone getting their vaccination from a city’s official vaccination site. So far, nearly 11,000 people have gotten the $100 promotion.
