Office Of The Mayor Of New York City: Emergency Executive Order 226

Press release from Office of the Mayor of New York City:

August 20, 2021

Download Emergency Executive Order 226

WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted New York City and its economy, and is addressed effectively only by joint action of the City, State, and Federal governments; and 

WHEREAS, the state of emergency to address the threat and impacts of COVID-19 in the City of New York first declared in Emergency Executive Order No. 98, and extended most recently by Emergency Executive Order No. 220, remains in effect; and

WHEREAS, this Order is given because of the propensity of the virus to spread person-to-person, and also because the actions taken to prevent such spread have led to property loss and damage;

WHEREAS, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) reports that new variants of COVID-19, classified as “variants of concern,” are present in the United States;

WHEREAS, some of these new variants currently account for the majority of COVID-19 cases sequenced in New York City and are much more transmissible than earlier variants;

WHEREAS, the CDC has stated that vaccination is the most effective tool to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect against severe illness;

WHEREAS, the CDC has also stated that vaccination benefits both vaccine recipients and those with whom they come into contact, including individuals who are ineligible for the vaccine due to age, health or other conditions;

WHEREAS, the recent appearance in the City of the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 has substantially increased the risk of infection;

WHEREAS, indoor entertainment, recreation, dining and fitness settings generally involve groups of unassociated people interacting for a substantial period of time and requiring vaccination for all individuals in these areas, including workers, will protect the public health, promote public safety, and save the lives of not just those vaccinated individuals but the public at large;

WHEREAS, 56% of City residents are fully vaccinated and 62% of residents have received at least one dose, and mandating vaccinations at the types of establishments that residents frequent will incentivize vaccinations, increasing the City’s vaccination rates and saving lives; and

WHEREAS, a study by Yale University demonstrated that the City’s vaccination campaign was estimated to have prevented about 250,000 COVID-19 cases, 44,000 hospitalizations and 8,300 deaths from COVID-19 infection since the start of vaccination through July 1, 2021, and the City believes the number of prevented cases, hospitalizations and death has risen since then; and that between January 1, 2021, and June 15, 2021, over 98% of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 infection involved those who were not fully vaccinated;

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the powers vested in me by the laws of the State of New York and the City of New York, including but not limited to the New York Executive Law, the New York City Charter and the Administrative Code of the City of New York, and the common law authority to protect the public in the event of an emergency:

Section 1. I hereby direct that section 1 of Emergency Executive Order No. 224, dated August 15, 2021, is extended for five (5) days.

§ 2. I hereby direct that sections 1 through 11 of Emergency Executive Order No. 225, dated August 16, 2021 shall be superseded in their entirety by the following provisions:

§ 4. This Emergency Executive Order shall take effect immediately, except that paragraph 10 of section 2 of this Order shall take effect on September 13, 2021.

Bill de Blasio, MAYOR

This press release was produced by Office of the Mayor of New York City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.