New York City will require proof of vaccination to enter indoor entertainment venues, restaurants, and gyms beginning August 16. The mandate, instituted with the aim to increase vaccinations in the state, will be fully enforced by September 13.
“It is time for people to see vaccinations as literally necessary to living a good, full, and healthy life. If you’re unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things,” said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Although COVID-19 cases have steadily declining among the vaccinated since FDA-approved vaccines first became widely available, concerns about the highly contagious delta variant have led many cities and counties, including Los Angeles county and San Francisco, to reinstate mask mandates. In the United States, 0% of adults have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; talks of a booster shot that defends against the variant are ongoing.
In the short amount of time following de Blasio’s announcement of the mandate, vaccination rates in New York have already climbed. Preliminary data from the New York City Health Department demonstrated that nearly 80,000 (79,931) New Yorkers received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose the week of July 26, translating to a 39.5% increase compared with the number of New Yorkers who received their first dose during the first week of July. On July 30, 15,440 people received their first dose, culminating in the highest single-day total since June 4. New York City is currently averaging 1,275 new COVID-19 diagnoses each day.
H/T: CNBC; New York Magazine
Featured image: Tom Wilkinson
