Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 will be
required for staff and customers of indoor venues in the city starting Monday.
Mayor Bill de
Blasio announced the mandate last week as part of his Key to NYC plan. The mandate will go
into effect on Monday and be fully enforced on Sept.
13.
The mandate
means workers and customers of indoor
dining, indoor fitness and indoor entertainment venues must show proof of
vaccination against COVID-19 through their vaccine cards, the NYC COVID Safe
app or the NYS Excelsior app.
This comes
after the
Barclays Center announced that all employees and guests ages 12 and over must
show proof of vaccination starting Sept. 13. The mayor said on Twitter that the Barclays
Center's announcement “will keep the best basketball fans in the world safe.”
The citywide
mandate will be the first-in-the-nation
vaccine requirement for employees and
customers for indoor venues.
While the
mandate doesn’t go into effect until Monday, de Blasio says over 50 businesses
in the city have already started to require proof of vaccination for entry. The
mayor called these businesses “early adopters” and applauded them for already
following the new protocols.
So far, 56% of New York City residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. There have
been over 1,300 confirmed cases in the city in the last week.