Private-sector workers will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and teens and adults will need two vaccine doses to dine indoors under new mandates that take effect in New York City on Monday.
Private-sector workers will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and teens and adults will need two vaccine doses to dine indoors under new mandates that take effect in New York City on Monday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced earlier this month, employees of private businesses would need to submit proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by Monday, Dec. 27. 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.
The vaccine mandate for private businesses is aimed as a “pre-emptive strike” against an expected surge in COVID infections this winter amid the emergence of the Omicron variant.
The mayor also said New Yorkers ages 12 and up would be required to show proof of two COVID-19 vaccine doses to dine indoors and enter gyms and indoor entertainment venues beginning Monday, unless they have received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Vaccinations are already required for hospital and nursing home workers and city employees including teachers, police officers and firefighters.
The private sector mandate will apply to approximately 184,000 businesses.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who takes office on Jan. 1, has said he is evaluating the mandate for private-sector employees, but has not yet said whether his administration will keep it in place.
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