FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 9, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
Mayor de Blasio announces new vaccine
mandate for all private employers in NYC
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
New York City will institute a fi rstin
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 offi ce — 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 fi rst-in-the-nation
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, fi tness 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.
Th e new mandate will apply to
some 184,000 businesses, according to
City Hall, and comes aft er the mayor
announced a mandate for yeshivas,
Catholic schools and other
private schools on
Th ursday, where
teachers and students
will have to
show proof of at
least one dose by
Dec. 20.
Th e protocols
will only apply
to in-person
workers and businesses with more than
one employee, the mayor added during
virtual press briefi ng later that morning.
Th e 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 eff ective to previous
vaccine requirements that apply to indoor
dining, gyms and other venues.
“Th ere 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
aff ects all businesses equally.
“Th e health commissioner has
an obligation and a responsibility
to protect the public
health,” said Corporation
Counsel Georgia Pestana
during the press briefi ng.
“It is across the board, so
it’s not picking one industry
over another and treating
them diff erently, so we’re
confi dent 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.
Th e 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 Saturday, 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.
“Th e mayor-elect will evaluate this
mandate and other COVID strategies
when he is in offi ce and make determinations
based on science, effi cacy and
the advice of health professionals,” Evan
Th ies said in a statement.
De Blasio told reporters he met with
Adams at Gracie Mansion last Monday,
the day the mayor-elect departed for a
trip to Ghana, and briefed him again on
Friday.
“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 layoff s 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 suff er 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.
Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Offi ce
Mayor Bill de Blasio.
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