De Blasio’s announcement for private sector employees includes new expansions to the city’s “Key to NYC” vaccination proof requirements. Children ages 5-11 will now need to show vaccine proof to partake in indoor dining, indoor gyms and entertainment such as movie theaters and Broadway shows. All indoor activities in New York City will now require two doses of the vaccine, up from one.
“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,” de Blasio said on Monday.
The private sector mandate is the latest vaccine mandate ordered by de Blasio this year that ties proof of vaccination status to employment. De Blasio issued an executive order on October 27 that required all city workers to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. He had previously issued vaccine requirements aimed squarely at Department of Education employees.
The Dec. 27 private sector vaccine mandate will radically alter the number of employees who now have their employment tied to vaccination status. There are roughly 312,000 municipal workers in New York City, compared to millions of private sector employees across the five boroughs.
De Blasio vaccine mandates against city employees have been challenged in court but have held up to the legal actions taken by unions and city workers in state and federal courts.
De Blasio expressed confidence his latest vaccine mandate would hold up in court if challenged and said his administration will work with the business community to formulate a set of rules prior to implementation at the end of the month.
“The more universal they are, the more likely employees will say okay, it’s time, I’m going to do this,” he said. “Because you can’t jump from one industry to another or one company to another. It’s something that needs to be universal to protect all of us.”
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