'It'll make things impossible': NYC bars, restaurant and gyms rage as Mayor De Blasio announces Big Apple will become first US city to require vaccine passports for customers and workers from August 16
New York City restaurant managers were left confused and residents are lashing out after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that customers will need to show proof of vaccination for indoor dining, performances and gyms starting August 16.
Customers and workers will have to show proof that they've had at least one dose of a vaccine under plans to pressure New Yorkers to get a shot.
The policy will go into effect on August 16, but inspections and enforcement won't begin until September 13, the week that the city's public schools reopen for the fall.
It'll fall largely on businesses to enforce the policy, and de Blasio claims it won't be too different from a host guiding someone to a table or a box office clerk selling a ticket.
The announcement came just 24 hours after de Blasio broke from Governor Andrew Cuomo and said he would not bring back an indoor mask mandate in the city.
De Blasio said Tuesday: 'If you want to participate in our society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated. It’s time.'
He added: 'This is a miraculous place full of wonders, and if you're vaccinated, all of that is gonna open up to you.'
About 66 percent of adults in New York City are fully vaccinated, with another 5.6 percent partially vaccinated, according to official data.
Customers and workers will have to show proof that they've had at least one dose of a vaccine under plans to pressure New Yorkers to get a shot.
Official data shows that 66 percent of adults in NYC are fully vaccinated
But restaurant owners and advocates have hit back, saying the industry faces collapse if restrictions continue to burden a sector of the economy that has faced lost revenues and a staffing crisis over the past year and a half.
'Government is still making things harder on our industry. We can’t take it much longer,' said New York State Restaurant Association President and CEO Melissa Fleischut, who says restaurants have suffered enough losses and restrictions during the pandemic.
Sean Ogs, manager of the Woodside Cafe in Queens, said he was 'floored' when he heard the news.
'We've already been in a struggle. I don't know how I'm going to deal with it,' Ogs said.
'It's going to be extra work. It'll make things impossible.'
De Blasio said Tuesday that some details of how the program will work still need to be worked out, but he did not think checking vaccination status should be too difficult for businesses, which already have to take tickets or show diners to a table.
Those looking to catch a Broadway show or get in a morning workout will need to pull out a CDC vaccination card or an app like the Excelsior Pass proving that they've had at least one jab of a Covid vaccine. Vaccination cards will be accepted as proof of inoculation, along with state and city apps.
But patrons in New York were not pleased with the change.
Debbie McCarthy, a regular at the Woodside Cafe who is unvaccinated, said she was turned away over the weekend from several establishments that had already begun requiring proof of vaccinations from patrons.
'I'm a little shocked they would do that,' said McCarthy, who said she recovered from Covid a few months ago and believes her natural antibodies will protect from future infections.
The vaccine mandate comes after the aggressive Delta variant swept through New York
'Why are they so afraid of people who haven't been vaccinated? I think we should have a choice.'
At Variety Coffee Roasters in Bushwick, Brooklyn, patrons sat unmasked on benches and tables throughout the café Tuesday afternoon.
'There's a lot of people in certain communities that haven’t been vaccinated yet, so I think it’s a little discriminatory,' said store manager Iaisha Munnerlyn, 'but that’s the world we live in.'
Munnerlyn says there's been a lot of changes in Covid restrictions in recent months, but she feels confident her team can check vaccination cards.
'It's the job,' she said. 'At the end of the day, you just sometimes gotta do something you don't want to do.'
Patrons sat unmasked in chairs and benches at Variety Coffee Roasters in Brooklyn on Tuesday
Veselka manager Nick Solovev says his restaurant is 'not ready for it,' but will follow the rules
At Veselka, a Ukrainian diner on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, manager Nick Solovev says his restaurant will follow 'whatever mandate is given,' but that he hasn't heard much when it comes to instructions from the government.
'It’s one of those things - everyone is dealing with this for the first time - so no, we’re not ready for it, but we’re just waiting for more details to come through,' he said.
Fleischut, from the New York State Restaurant Association, says the rules are being applied unevenly, affecting a segment of the economy that has already taken a huge blow over the past year and a half.
'We will certainly work to protect our guests and our employees, but any mandates that are necessary to protect public health should be applied across all businesses,' she said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
'These new mandates are a burden that will be placed on hospitality staff that is already stretched thin, and this will only get worse.'
The announcement of the 'Key to NYC' pass also spurred a flurry of reactions on social media, ranging from anger at the perceived government overreach to relief that people are finally being pushed to inoculate themselves.
Some on Twitter seemed aggrieved at the perceived government overreach of the 'Key to NYC,' while others hoped that it could signal a full return to normal
'What happened to human rights?' one person asked on Twitter. 'It's only a matter of time before this expands to other states.'
'Y'all sheep a** just relinquishing all your rights for a vaccine that's not FDA approved,' said one user.
Others took a more optimistic tone.
'If you wanna see alllllll this, go get vaccinated,' one person said above photos of someone in front of various New York City landmarks .
The vaccine mandate is the most aggressive step the city has taken yet to curb a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant.
The mayor touted the 'Key to NYC Pass' as a 'first-in-the-nation' approach.
'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,' de Blasio said.
'The goal here is to convince everyone that this is the time. If we're going to stop the Delta variant, the time is now. And that means getting vaccinated right now.'
De Blasio has focused on getting as many New Yorkers vaccinated as possible while resisting calls to mandate masks indoors, as several cities and counties in California have done.
During a press conference Monday, the mayor stood firm on pushing with vaccination efforts instead of reverting to the mask mandates of yesteryear.
Residents can show their CDC vaccination cards along with state and city apps like Excelsior
'The overwhelming strategic thrust is vaccination,' the mayor said yesterday.
'We think the right mix is to heavily focus on vaccination and continue to climb that leader and also give a very clear message, strongly recommending mask usage.
'Mask wearing is not a substitute for vaccination.'
The comments came after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he 'strongly' recommended a mask mandate in the city, echoing the CDC's latest guidance that vaccinated people should wear mask indoors to prevent the spread of the aggressive Delta variant.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said he 'strongly' recommends that Mayor de Blasio institutes mask mandates Monday, but the mayor is focused on vaccines as the 'overwhelming strategic thrust'
Reactions to de Blasio's Tuesday press conference announcing new vaccine proof requirements for gyms, performances and indoor dining ranged from anger to relief
Some businesses are already one step ahead of the mayor.
In an email to members on Monday, the high-end gym chain Equinox and its subsidiary SoulCycle announced that customers will have to show proof of vaccination to enter its studios and gyms.
In France, a similar mandate requiring a health pass for access to cafés, restaurants and shopping centers has sparked huge protests.
President Emmanuel Macron announced the plans on July 12, along with a requirement that all health care workers be vaccinated by September 15 or they 'won’t be able to work and won’t be paid.'
Over the July 23 weekend, more than 160,000 people marched in Paris and other major cities against the orders.
The French parliament approved use of the health pass on July 26, according to France24.
Anti-vaxxers took to the streets of Paris on July 31 to protest against the virus passports
De Blasio announced last week that city employees would be required to get vaccinated by mid-September or to face weekly testing, and he has offered a $100 incentive for city residents who get inoculated.
On Monday, the US reached President Joe Biden's goal of getting at least one Covid shot into 70 percent of American adults - a month late and amid a surge by the Delta variant that is overwhelming hospitals and prompting renewed pandemic regulations around the country.
Vaccinated people are far less likely to become ill with or die from COVID-19 than unvaccinated people are, but half of the country's total population remains unvaccinated, and the variant is three times as contagious as previous strains.
List of U.S. employers requiring workers to get vaccinated grows, as others offer incentives to encourage shots
REQUIRING VACCINES:
Equinox, and its subsidiary SoulCycle
BlackRock
City of New York
Delta Air Lines (for new employees)
Goldman Sachs
Lyft
Morgan Stanley
Netflix
Saks Fifth Avenue
State of California
State of New York
United Airlines (for new employees)
The Washington Post Co.
OFFERING INCENTIVES FOR EMPLOYEES TO GET VACCINES:
ALDI groceries (Paid time off and adjusted hours to get vaccinated)
Amazon ($100 bonus for workers who show proof of vaccination on first day of employment)
Amtrak (two hours of bonus pay and excused absence)
American Airlines (additional paid vacation day in 2022 and a $50 bonus)
Bolthouse Farms ($500 bonus with proof of vaccination or if they get shot at on-site clinic)
Chobani (up to six hours of paid time off for employees to go get vaccinated)
Darden Restaurants, which owns Olive Garden (four hours of paid time off to cover both doses of the vaccine)
Dollar General (one-time stipend equal to four hours of paid time off)
Instacart ($25 stipend to in-store employees and independent contractors)
JBS USA and Pilgrim's ($100 bonus)
Kroger ($100 bonus with proof of vaccination as well as $100 store credit and 1,000 fuel points for essential and frontline staffers)
Lidl ($200 bonus and scheduling flexibility for vaccination appointments)
McDonald's (up to four hours of paid time off to get the vaccine)
Publix ($125 gift cards for employees who show proof of vaccination)
Starbucks (up to four hours of paid time off for vaccine dosage appointments)
Target (up to four hours of paid time off per vaccine dosage and a $30 reimbursement for using a Lyft to get to their appointment)
Trader Joe's (additional two hours of pay for each dose and scheduling flexbility)