NYC Private Employer Vax Mandate Spurs Shock, Uncertainty

NEW YORK CITY — A surprise COVID-19 vaccine mandate for New York City's nearly 200,000 private employers sent shockwaves and uncertainty across the five boroughs.

Mayor Bill de Blasio's announcement — first on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," then during a news conference — left out many crucial details other than the mandate's broad strokes.

The mandate will take effect Dec. 27 and cover all private employers in the city, he said. Other decisions, such as enforcement, will be hashed out in the coming days, he said.

"We're going to work with the business community on working out these guidelines by Dec. 15," he said.

But many business leaders said they weren't consulted before de Blasio announced the rule.

Indeed, the city's business community was "blindsided" by the mandate and its lack of a testing option for employees, said Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership For New York City.

"Inconsistent policies at the federal, state and city levels are not helpful and it is unclear who will enforce a mayoral mandate, and whether it is even legal," Wylde said in a statement.

The mandate could harm small businesses who are already struggling with a labor shortage, said Randy Peers, who heads the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

"While virtually unenforceable - there are 62,000 small businesses in Brooklyn alone - it sets up problematic confrontations between employers and staff, which could result in layoffs around the holidays that would be incredibly unfortunate," Peers said in a statement.

Likewise, Andrew Rigie, who heads the powerful NYC Hospitality Alliance, said another mandate announced Monday that extends an indoor proof of vaccination mandate to children ages 5-11 was half-baked. The requirement could harm the city's already-beleaguered restaurants, he said.

"U.S. families visiting New York City for scheduled holiday vacations may not be able to meet the vaccination requirements for children or themselves in time, and children aged 5-11 across the globe aren’t universally authorized to get vaccinated," Rigie said in a statement. "Given the rapidly approaching holidays and considerable impact of the December 14 deadline, the proposal should be delayed until next year."

De Blasio, during a news conference, provided some more details. He said the mandate would only apply to in-person workers.

The mandate also will carry "consequences," he said, although he didn't elaborate on specifics beyond it'll follow the model from the "Key To NYC" indoor vaccine mandate.

"We'll publish them on Dec. 15, so it's still well before the mandate takes effect Dec.27," he said. "And look, we have a really impressive body of knowledge now from the Key to NYC. There was a lot of dialogue with the business community in advance. We figured out ways to improve the approach to educating, providing support. We're going to have that call center for any concerns."

More than 12.68 million vaccine doses have gone into arms in the city, with nearly 78 percent of all residents at least partially vaccinated, data shows.

De Blasio and health officials have stressed that increased vaccinations are necessary to fight the new omicron variant.

"We're seeing enough about omicron that is concerning, that warrants the bold steps that the mayor announced today, and we have a chance to blunt the effect of delta in the here and now as well," said Dave Chokshi, the city's health commissioner. "What we do know is the common thread is that vaccination saves lives and it helps us to prevent suffering. So, that's the very clear public health rationale for the steps that we're taking today."