Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new vaccine mandate for private companies Monday. He said it will take effect on Dec. 27. according to CBS News NY.
“We in New York City have decided to use a preemptive strike, to really do something bold to stop the further growth of COVID and the dangers it’s causing to all of us,” de Blasio said in an interview with MSNBC.
“So as of today, we’re going to announce the first-in-the-nation measure. Our health commissioner will announce a vaccine mandate for private sector employers across the board.” According to Councilman Mark Levine, who chairs the council’s health committee, there will also be a weekly testing option.
According to ABC7 News, In addition, de Blasio said there will also be required vaccine proof for indoor dining, fitness, and entertainment for children 5 to 11. The mayor said it was an important push to get the vaccination number up for kids in that age group, which is now just 20%.
“A lot of parents want to take their kids out to wonderful things happening in the holiday season. Here’s a reminder, get your child vaccinated. One dose will immediately qualify a child in any of those activities.
I’m a parent, I remember vividly when my kids were going to school. You don’t end up in the situation where a child is left unprotected. I urge parents really strongly get that vaccination. It’s safe, it’s proven. Here’s another incentive to do it,” Mayor de Blasio said. Indoor activities also now require two vaccine doses, up from one for adults.
“We are under attack from the coronavirus. We’ve got omicron as a new factor, colder weather, which is really going to create additional challenges with the delta variant. We’ve got holiday gatherings. We in New York City have decided to use a preemptive strike to really do something bold to stop the further growth of covid and the dangers it causes to all of us,” Mayor de Blasio said.
