If you want to dine indoors, go to a gym or attend an event at an entertainment venue in New York, you'll need to show proof that you have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Starting on September 13, New York began enforcing its vaccine mandate for various indoor venues. The rules extend to include workers at these facilities as well.
"The business has gone down at least 35 to 40 percent, and we expect it to go down a little more," said Pedro Zamora, owner of Cantina Rooftop in Manhattan. "But on the other hand, I feel good to do that because it's the way to end the pandemic, and I urge everybody, if you're not vaccinated, try to get vaccinated as soon as possible because that's only for the good of our community and to stop this virus from going on."
If businesses are found not to be compliant, they can be fined $1,000 for a first offense, with increasing penalties if they continue to break the rules.
New York has some of the strictest vaccine mandates in the United States. Mayor Bill de Blasio also requires city workers to be vaccinated or to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. Students 12 and up who participate in "high-risk" after-school activities, like sports or performing arts, also must be vaccinated.
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Catching you up on what you need to know on April 19, 2022, with a federal judge voiding mask mandates on public transportation, updates from the Russia and Ukraine war, Mac Miller’s drug dealer sentenced for involvement in the rapper's death, and more.
A federal judge’s decision to strike down a national mask mandate was met with cheers on some airplanes but also concern about whether it’s really time to end the order sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
