Outgoing New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has issued a new vaccine mandate on Monday ordering all Big Apple employers to vaccinate all their workers.
Based on the latest vaccine mandate, the order will take effect to all private businesses on Dec. 22.
De Blasio explained the new vaccine mandate is needed to prevent a spike in COVID-19 infections during the holiday season and the colder months.
“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.
“All private-sector employers in New York City will be covered by this vaccine mandate as of Dec. 22,” de Blasio added.
Before the latest order, the mandatory vaccination only applies to city employees including teachers, police officers, and firefighters.
De Blasio is confident his latest order can survive any legal challenges.
Before his latest order, de Blasio revealed that he is seriously considering requiring people to get COVID-19 booster shots if they want to attend concerts, restaurants, and similar indoor venues.
De Blasio said Omicron is a new challenge the city is currently tackling at the moment.
“I think it’s a fair question that we’re going to analyze now – with all of our approaches to COVID, we’re going to update them, because we’re dealing with some new challenges at this moment,” de Blasio said on Friday.
“So, that will be looked at along with a series of other actions, because it’s really dynamic right now,” de Blasio added.
Sources said with the possible new mandate, a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is now a necessity for those who want to go to concerts, restaurants, and similar indoor venues.
At the moment, the city requires proof of just a single jab to enter certain indoor businesses — including all indoor restaurants, entertainment venues, and gyms.
Meanwhile, as of Saturday afternoon, there were eight cases of the Omicron variant detected statewide, including seven in the city.
JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.
CLICK HERE
