NYC Just Announced That Vaccine Passes Are Required for Dining, Gyms, and More

The Big Apple is in a transitional phase.

New York City will close its doors for key activities to people who've intentionally neglected to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new sweeping mandate announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio in a Tuesday news conference, in an initial report from The New York Times.

It turns out the city that never sleeps will require everyone to show proof of at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine for several activities, including exercising at gyms, indoor dining, and live shows and performances to pressure the unvaccinated to join the club.

And it will be fully enforced beginning on September 13.

New York City emphasizes COVID-19 vaccination rates

This incoming mandate is similar to other mandates in France and Italy that are already in place. New York's vaccine mandate will begin soft implementation on August 16, and then, following a transition period, full enforcement will go into effect on Sept. 13, The latter date is when schools are slated for reopening, and when many workers will return to work in Manhattan. Mayor de Blasio has grown increasingly determined to convince more New Yorkers to voluntarily get vaccinated to lower the collateral of the incoming third coronavirus wave amid mounting concerns about a looming Delta variant. City workers will be required to get a vaccine, or undergo weekly tests, added de Blasio in the report, who has offered $100 for the public to get a vaccine. "If you want to participate in our society fully, you've got to get vaccinated," he said during the news conference, according to the NYTimes. "It's time."

"This is going to be a requirement," added de Blasio. "The only way to patronize these establishments is if you are vaccinated, at least one dose. The same for folks in terms of work, they will need at least one dose," added the Mayor of New York, lifting a finger to the camera. This comes a day after de Blasio nearly reinstated the indoor mask mandate, which has already happened in other major urban regions, like San Francisco, Washington, and Los Angeles, in addition to at least one state. The Mayor stressed his preference to focus on vaccination rates, and emphasized concerns about implementing mask mandates again, since this might cause fewer people to go forward with getting a vaccine.

COVID-19 cases, hosptalizations, and deaths far below the winter peak

In the U.S., new coronavirus cases have risen roughly 13,000 cases higher than last month's rate, reaching an average of roughly 86,000 per day as of Monday, read the report. While this is disconcerting, it's still a far smaller rate of new cases than the city saw in January. But we're also seeing higher rates of hospitalized cases, despite these and associated deaths are merely a fraction of the horrific winter peaks we saw before.

As of writing, roughly 66% of adult New Yorkers have received a vaccination for the coronavirus, according to city data, but there remain groups with lower rates. Three functional vaccines, including Pfizer/BioNTech's, Moderna's, and Johnson & Johnson's, are fully authorized by the federal government, the former two involve two shots, and the latter just one. While the city of New York takes steps to lower the potential curve of an incoming Delta wave, many are hoping that soft limits on social access for the unvaccinated will expedite the process of pulling through this global pandemic.