Vaccine mandates to be required for all NYC employers, mayor says
All NYC employers will have to mandate COVID shots
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on May 31. Credit: AFP via Getty Images/Kena Betancur
The move by Mayor Bill de Blasio to require all employers in the city to mandate vaccinations comes as cases are climbing again in the U.S. and the worrisome but little-understood omicron variant is gaining a toehold in New York and elsewhere.
"We in New York City have decided to use a preemptive strike to really do something bold to stop the further growth of COVID and the dangers it’s causing to all of us," he said.
De Blasio, who has just weeks left in office, said the mandate will take effect Dec. 27, with workers needing to provide proof of having received at least one dose of the vaccine. It will apply to roughly 184,000 businesses in the city of 8.8 million people, according to a spokesperson for the mayor.
The mayor also announced new rules for indoor dining, other activities: Anyone 12 or older who wants to dine indoors at a restaurant, go to a gym or see a show in the city will have to produce proof of having received two shots of the vaccine, up from the current requirement of one dose. In addition, children ages 5 to 11 will have to show proof of at least one shot, de Blasio said. Get the full story.
Have holiday travel plans? With the omicron variant lurking and COVID-19 cases soaring on Long Island and around the country, medical experts are urging "caution" with holiday travel to end the year. Read more from Newsday's Bart Jones.
Meanwhile, an omicron booster shot is being discussed by federal regulators and COVID-19 vaccine makers looking to streamline authorization of a shot specific to the rising variant, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday.
The number of new positives reported today: 399 in Nassau, 499 in Suffolk, 1,521 in New York City and 6,078 statewide.
This chart shows the number of new coronavirus cases confirmed each day on Long Island. Health officials look for trends in daily counts for signs that the pandemic is gaining strength or weakening.
New daily COVID-19 cases reported in Nassau and Suffolk.
Search a map of new cases and view charts showing the latest local trends in vaccinations, testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
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