NYC Indoor Vax Requirement For Kids 5-11 On Table, De Blasio Says

NEW YORK CITY — Young New Yorkers soon could need to get a coronavirus vaccine to enter restaurants, museums and other indoor spaces.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday he's looking at such a mandate for kids ages 5 and up before he leaves office next month.

But he also said vaccinations for the 5-11 age group — the latest batch of children eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine — need to go up first.

"As of this morning, for the 5- to 11-year-old we're over 17 percent," he said. "That's a good start — it's only been a few weeks — but we need to get that number up a lot.

"So, we're trying to determine what's the best way to handle that. At some point, obviously, they will be included, as is true for the 12- to 17-year-olds."

Gothamist reporter Elizabeth Kim asked de Blasio during his daily briefing about the potential proof of vaccination requirement.

The city's "Key to NYC" rule, which requires vaccination to enter most indoor public spaces, has applied for months to adults and children as young as 12.

But children from 5- to 11-years-old have only recently become eligible to get vaccinated.

De Blasio said he'll have more to say "in the days ahead" as to when the proof of vaccination could apply to the youngest group of eligible kids.