Mandate requiring full COVID vaccination for NYC entertainment, dining venues takes effect

A mandate requiring proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for people older than 12 at entertainment and dining venues in New York City went into effect Monday.

News 12 Staff

Dec 27, 2021, 11:34 AM

Updated 1,076 days ago

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A mandate requiring proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for people older than 12 at entertainment and dining venues in New York City went into effect Monday.
The mandate is an expansion of the Key to NYC program, which previously only required proof of one dose of the COVID shot. Starting Monday, workers and customers who want to enjoy indoor dining at restaurants, fitness, entertainment and performance venues will have to show proof of two shots of Pfizer or Moderna's vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot to enter.
Also starting today, private businesses in New York City must require their employees to have at least one COVID vaccine dose. As part of the mandate, employers will have to keep full records of their workers' vaccination statuses.
Businesses that do not comply face fines starting at $1,000.
These mandates come as concerns over the Omicron variant grow, and the city reaches record highs for COVID cases. According to Mayor Bill de Blasio, the city saw more than 14,000 positive COVID cases Sunday alone. Acceptable proof of vaccination includes a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-issued vaccination card and the New York State Excelsior pass.
Before the holidays, lines wrapped around buildings due to the increased volume of people wanting to get tested. This has made for longer turnaround times for test results. Some people say they've waited as long as four days to get their test results back while also experiencing glitches in the city's systems to book appointments.
City officials say that as of Friday, it should only take about 24 hours to get test results from a city-run testing site.
As concerns over the Omicron variant grow and more people come out to get tested, city officials say they're actively working to make it as easy as possible.