New York City is the first city in the nation to mandate the coronavirus vaccine for private sector employees with no testing option. Close to 200-thousand businesses in the city will be impacted by this private worker mandate announced by the mayor today. It does not apply to those working remotely. City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi says there’s concern about the omicron variant but also concern of the coronavirus situation getting worse in the city.
“We have seen case numbers grow in recent weeks due to delta, the devil we know. They have more than doubled since a recent low point in early November, increasing in every borough and every age group.”
Details on enforcement of the mandate are expected next week. Meanwhile, children ages 5 to 11 will be now included in the vaccine mandate for indoor dining, entertainment and gyms starting December 14th. That indoor mandate will also now require full vaccination as opposed to one dose starting December 27th for those 12 and older.