First day jitters for NYC business vax mandate
BY DEAN MOSES
The “Key to the City” opens
the doors for some, but
closes them for others.
The Big Apple has now offi -
cially adopted an indoor vaccine
mandate that took effect Tuesday,
Aug. 17, requiring those planning
to workout in gyms or eat inside
restaurants to show proof of having
received at least one of the
life-saving shots.
Customers are required to
present either their physical
vaccine card or the electronic
Excelsior Pass to establishment
employees, who must police
who can stay and who must
leave based on their vaccination
status. This is the latest initiative
to convince more New Yorkers
to get the jab by, in the words of
Mayor Bill de Blasio, giving them
a “Key to the City.”
However, with businesses
throughout the fi ve boroughs already
suffering extended closures,
rent deferrals, and the loss of
staff, some shopkeepers wonder if
they can handle another potential
loss of clientele resulting from the
mandate’s enforcement.
Crunch on 222 East 34th
Street is not concerned about
the mandate; in fact, they are
Gym members are asked to show their Excelsior Pass or
vaccination card starting Aug. 17.
proud of the way in which they
are implementing it. Spending the
fi rst half of the pandemic closed,
like many other businesses, they
waited until their facility was
permitted to open following CDC
guidelines, and now they continue
to utilize a hybrid model for their
members.
Isidro Montero, the district
manager for the Manhattan
East Side sector of Crunch, feels
Staff member Charles at Nimble Fitness gym begins checking for vaccination cards.
optimistic for the future as more
members return to the facility and
is excited to have the gym back
to life.
“Right now, we are getting into
the swing of things. We got the
classes back, we got the saunas
reopened, and then with the new
mandate obviously it feels a little
safer to be in the club,” Montero
said.
In preparation for the proof
of vaccination mandate, Crunch
hosted conference calls with
all of its district managers and
provided directives to its gyms
regarding the inspection of inoculation
cards. For the past four
days, Montero says the staff has
been having continuous training
sessions while the new mandate
rolls out.
Prior to this week’s regulations,
Crunch sent out blast emails to its
members informing them of the
updated policy. Upon a guest’s
arrival, a membership is scanned
followed by the Excelsior pass or
their card as proof of their vaccination.
Montero says once this
information is scanned into their
system, they will not be required
to show proof again.
“We have over 3,000 registered
gym members that submitted
their vaccination right away.
We’ve had zero negative feedback,”
Montero said, adding that
it makes himself and his fellow
employees feel safer.
While many are deciding if they
wish to schedule their vaccination
appointments, Crunch will allow
unvaccinated members to use the
facility with a mask donned until
Sept. 13, at which time only fully
vaccinated individuals will be
authorized inside.
Nimble Fitness, an independent
gym on 42 East 12th St., say they
are grateful for a health focused
and understanding customer base
who have been working with
them throughout the hardest
months in their two-and-a-halfdecade
tenure, yet they do admit
that attempting to meet a revolving
door of requirements has been
akin to hitting a moving target.
“It has been like a moving
target and a roller coaster ride. I
think we are really fortunate that
we have been able to roll with
everything and it is all about our
clientele and staff, they have been
so supportive and understanding
that things are changing and we
just are going to have to change
with it,” Celene Lucas, director
of operations at Nimble Fitness
explained.
The gym has been in business
for 15 years and focuses on oneon
one personal training, tailoring
exercise needs to fi t the individual.
Nimble Fitness has also
been able to offer virtual training
PHOTOS BY DEAN MOSES
as a result of the pandemic, which
gives the independent gym some
wriggle room in terms of the mandate
and to continue business at a
person’s home.
Still, one of Lucas’ largest concerns
going forward is the lack of
guidance regarding enforcement.
“Today it goes into effect and
the enforcement of it is like Sept.
13, so between that month period
the idea is people have the opportunity
to become compliant,
get vaccinated if you are not or, if
you are a staff member, to fi gure
out what we can do to accommodate
you. I am not sure what the
enforcement of it looks like, and
that’s where I really want some
guidance from the mayor and
from the City, so that businesses
are not left in the dark. We should
not be penalized when that time
comes because it has not been
communicated to us what that
enforcement looks like,” Lucas
told amNewYork Metro.
Sentiments of confusion
like these are shared by fellow
independent business owner
Vladimir Grinberg, who feels the
mandate is serving up a headache
for his restaurant.
A Jewish, Russian immigrant,
Grinberg has been the proud
proprietor of the Organic Grill
a vegan restaurant on 123 First
Ave. for over 20 years. His concept
of creating healthy food as a
holistic approach to better living
has garnered him a dedicated
clientele as well as a continuous
fl ow of curious tourists.
However, like many small
businesses the pandemic crippled
his restaurant with the constant,
ever-changing mandates in combination
with many of his patrons
who he states has moved away
from the city after the virus. Due
to the steady decline in patrons,
he now works fi ve to six days
a week with a skeletal kitchen
staff while he serves the dishes,
answers phone orders, online
orders, deliveries, and more.
“I didn’t anticipate it would be
so hard, at the beginning my wife
and I contemplated if we should
stay or should we close,” Grinberg
admitted, adding that they
decided to remain open to prove
that healthy vegan food still has
a place in the Lower East Side.
Grinberg, however, did not
foresee his business having to
persevere through one storm after
another.
“It seems like it’s never going to
end. It’s not like you overcome an
obstacle and you can work again.
We are literally always at 50% of
our worst day pre-pandemic. If I
didn’t work by myself and have a
limited staff, we wouldn’t be able
to afford to stay,” Grinberg said.
Vladimir Grinberg runs back and forth throughout the Organic
Grill serving customers.
Schneps Media August 19, 2021 3