HEALTH
Mayor de Blasio announces new vaccine
mandate for all private employers in NYC
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | DEC. 10 - DEC. 16, 2021 17
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
New York City will institute
a first-in-the-country vaccine
mandate for all in-person
private-sector employers this
month to slow the spread of
COVID-19 and the emerging
omicron variant, Mayor Bill
de Blasio announced Monday,
Dec. 6.
New Yorkers will have to
get their shots against the
coronavirus by Dec. 27 — four
days before de Blasio leaves office
— and the city will start
requiring two doses of the vaccine
instead of just one, the
mayor revealed on MSNBC’s
Morning Joe.
“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,” Hizzoner
said. “So as of today, we’re going
to announce a first-in-thenation
measure: Our health
commissioner will announce
a vaccine mandate for private
sector employers across the
board.”
Children ages 5 to 11 will
be required to show proof of
at least one dose of the vaccine
starting Dec. 14 for activities
like indoor dining, fitness and
entertainment, according to
de Blasio.
“A lot of parents, of course,
want to take their kids out to
wonderful things that’ll be
happening in the holiday season.
Here’s a reminder: Get
your child vaccinated,” he
said.
Currently, only about 20%
of New Yorkers in that age
group have gotten vaccinated,
according to the mayor.
New Yorkers ages 12 and
above will also have to show
proof of getting two doses, just
like adults, except for those
who got the one-and-done
Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
The new mandate will apply
to some 184,000 businesses,
according to City Hall, and
comes after the mayor announced
a mandate for yeshivas,
Catholic schools and other
private schools on Thursday,
where teachers and students
will have to show proof of at
least one dose by Dec. 20.
The protocols will only apply
to in-person workers and
businesses with more than
one employee, the mayor added
during virtual press briefing
later that morning.
The lame duck mayor
claimed he would work to enforce
the new rules by joining
forces with the “business
community” and release more
details — including penalties
for noncompliance — by Dec.
15, and said it will be similarly
effective to previous vaccine
requirements that apply to indoor
dining, gyms and other
venues.
“There were a few times
where we had to penalize
people, but it was rare. So, we
are going to put together the
rules, work with the business
community,” the mayor told
reporters.
He added that some accommodations
could be made for
exemptions as with previous
mandates, such as for religious
or medical reasons.
A similar move by President
Joe Biden targeting all
businesses in the country
with more than 100 workers
was blocked in court, but the
city’s lawyer said the city’s
order will withstand lawsuits
because it affects all businesses
equally.
“The health commissioner
has an obligation and a responsibility
to protect the
public health,” said Corporation
Counsel Georgia Pestana
during the press briefing. “It
is across the board, so it’s not
picking one industry over another
and treating them differently,
so we’re confident that
this will survive any challenges.”
De Blasio pushed through
a mandate for all city workers
over the past month, which
initially faced vocal backlash
from some departments, but
bumped up the average inoculation
rate for the municipal
workforce to 94% for at least
one dose as of Dec. 1.
President Biden imposed
a vaccine mandate for all federal
employees with a deadline
on Nov. 22, meaning employees
of New York state and
state-controlled entities like
the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority and CUNY will
be among the very few workforces
that don’t have to get
the shot.
The MTA notably is pouring
$100 million in federal
funds to amp up a regular testing
operation for thousands of
their workers who have yet to
show a proof of vaccine.
Governor Kathy Hochul
instituted a vaccine mandate
for state healthcare workers
starting in late September,
but has been hesitant to
expand it to large agencies
like the 67,000-strong MTA,
where the rate for at least
one dose stands at 71% as of
Dec. 2.
Eight omicron cases have
been detected in New York
state residents as of Dec. 4,
seven of which were found in
New York City, and two additional
detections were connected
to out-of-state travelers
who attended an anime convention
in the Javits Center
last month.
It will be up to incoming
Mayor Eric Adams whether
to actually keep these new restrictions,
and a spokesperson
for his campaign did not commit
to upholding the policies.
“The mayor-elect will evaluate
this mandate and other
COVID strategies when he is
in office and make determinations
based on science, efficacy
and the advice of health
professionals,” Evan Thies
said in a statement.
De Blasio told reporters
he met with Adams at Gracie
Mansion, the day the mayorelect
departed for a trip to
Ghana, and briefed him again
before last weekend.
“I gave him the full update
on what we’re doing,” de Blasio
said. “He has always said
he understands right now
there are urgent threats facing
our city and the mayor’s job is
to protect New Yorkers, and
that’s my responsibility up till
the very last minute.”
But some business leaders
were unhappy about the
sweeping mandate, with the
head of the Brooklyn Chamber
of Commerce saying it was
“virtually unenforceable,” on
the 62,000 small businesses in
that borough alone.
“As many employers, especially
small businesses, are
still struggling with labor
shortages, the mayor’s private
business mandates mean more
pain for the city’s economy,”
said the chamber’s president
and CEO Randy Peers in a
statement. “It sets up problematic
confrontations between
employers and staff, which
could result in layoffs around
the holidays that would be incredibly
unfortunate.”
Andrew Rigie, executive
director of the nightlife and
restaurant trade group the
New York City Hospitality Alliance,
raised concerns that
the tourism industry would
suffer due to visitors not being
able to get their young kids
vaccinated over the next eight
days.
“Given the rapidly approaching
holidays and considerable
impact of the Dec. 14
deadline, the proposal should
be delayed until next year,”
Rigie said in a statement.
Mayor Bill de Blasio Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Offi ce
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