NYC Indoor Activities Will Go Vax-Only Starting Aug. 16: Mayor

NEW YORK CITY — A wide swath of indoor activities in New York City — from dining, to entertainment and performances to working out — soon will be open only for people vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced the Key To NYC Pass — a mandate requiring proof of vaccination for a sweeping set of indoor activities in the city.

The mandate will phase in starting Aug. 16 and covers customers and workers in indoor dining, entertainment, performance and fitness setting, he said.

“It’s time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life,” he said.

If you want to participate in society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated. It’s time.

You’ll need proof of #COVID19 vaccination for indoor dining, indoor gyms, and indoor concerts and performances in New York City. This is a lifesaving mandate to keep our city safe. https://t.co/hIK99Z8M8A
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) August 3, 2021

The delta variant of coronavirus has prompted a growing movement toward instituting vaccination mandates to stop its spread.

New York City's vaccine-or-testing mandate for city workers represented the first step on a ladder of increasingly strict measures across the country, de Blasio said.

The city is "climbing the ladder" higher with the new indoor proof-of-vaccination requirement for New Yorkers, he said.

“We’re setting the pace, and we’re going to do that again today with today’s announcement,” he said.

De Blasio said enforcement begins Sept. 13 but also that city officials expect to iron out and announce further details after taking input.

Children under 12 who aren't eligible to be vaccinated, for instance, could fall under exceptions, said Dave Chokshi, the city's health commissioner.

“For those that may involve children this, as with any policy of this type, there will have to be some reasonable accommodations and so that will be part of the discussion here,” he said.

"The goal, of course, is not to exclude anyone who can’t be vaccinated, but we have to figure out how to do things in a safe manner,” de Blasio said.

New Yorkers can show proof of vaccination by using the city's "NYC COVID Safe App," the state's Excelsior Pass or a paper vaccination card, he said.

Excelsior Pass app.
NYC COVID Safe app.
The CDC paper card.

It’ll be easy to prove your vaccination in NYC. It’s easy to get the shot too. https://t.co/Zpn71kQPKs
— Bill Neidhardt (@BNeidhardt) August 3, 2021

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