‘This is Crucial’: New York City to Require Proof of COVID Vaccination for Indoor Settings

Earlier, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that any new municipal workers joining the administration will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before reporting to work, underscoring that a failure to do so would prompt a delayed start date. It comes amid a renewed push for vaccination efforts within the densely-populated city.

Residents and visitors to New York City will soon be required to show proof that they were vaccinated against the deadly COVID-19 virus if they want to partake in any indoor activities, city officials revealed on Tuesday.

The announcement was made by Mayor Bill de Blasio during a Tuesday briefing in which he revealed the verification was needed for indoor settings ranging from restaurants, gyms and, of course, entertainment centers. Approved passes for proof of vaccination would include the CDC’s vaccine card, the city’s own card and the state’s digital pass.

The “Key to NYC Pass” initiative will take effect on August 16 and effectively mark the Big Apple as the first major American city to take on such an endeavor. However, businesses will have until September 13 to begin enforcing the new rules, offering companies a grace period while the de Blasio administration launches its four-week public service campaign and finalizes regulations.

“It’s time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life,” de Blasio said during the briefing. “This is crucial, because we know that this will encourage a lot more vaccination - we’ve seen it already.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during the opening of the Broadway vaccination site amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in New York City, U.S., April 12, 2021

© REUTERS / Jeenah Moon

“If you want to participate in society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated,” de Blasio added, underscoring that the “time is now” to clamp down on the ever-contagious Delta variant that is making up an overwhelming majority of hospitalized COVID-19 cases.

“This is going to make clear, you want to enjoy everything great in this summer of New York City? Go get vaccinated.”

De Blasio also clarified that in order to either resume work in the outlined industries or parton the establishments, individuals would either have to be fully vaccinated or have at least one dose of an approved COVID-19.

Latest government figures for the New York City metro area indicate that at least 5 million New Yorkers have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a tally that amounts to about 60% of the city’s population.

Over the last several months, de Blasio has been working alongside city officials to encourage locals to get the jab through a variety of incentives, some of which even include a $100 stimulus. The cash incentive, which only kicked off a few days back, has so far attracted more than 11,000 New Yorkers to be vaccinated.

People queue at a popup COVID-19 testing site in Times Square during theoutbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., August 2, 2021.

© REUTERS / ANDREW KELLY

Although there has been support for de Blasio’s announcement, not all have welcomed the move warmly. Both the New York City Hospitality Alliance and the National Restaurant Association have acknowledged that enforcement of the mandate could help to prevent a full shutdown of the industry, but that it will create difficulties for restaurant staff. 

The latest development came shortly after de Blasio announced that all new hires for the city needed to be vaccinated or have at least received one vaccine dose as part of the growing efforts to curb the raging Delta COVID-19 variant.