The Department of Health officially reversed two major COVID-19 vaccination requirements affecting children and adults across New York City.

City officials voted to remove the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for high-risk extracurricular activities in schools as well as the vaccine mandate for private sector employers. The commissioner's order was announced back in September, but the vote today solidifies that decision.

Children participating in activities such as cheerleading, dancing and other sports teams will be allowed to do so without the COVID-19 vaccine. That order was first put in place at the end of the year in 2021. Health officials offered several reasons for their decision, including the significant decrease in COVID-19 case since July 2022.

Moving to private sector employees, health officials say that 99% of adults ages 18 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The introduction of the bivalent booster has played a key role in providing extra protection against the virus, with 530,000 of those vaccines distributed in the city. Board members for the Department of Health did not voice any protest for either of these decisions. Instead, they commented on how the previous vaccine requirements helped the city.