'Recovery Day': Mayor Hails NYC School Reopening, Vax Mandate

NEW YORK CITY — Nearly 1 million students returned to in-person learning. Enforcement began on a sweeping indoor vaccine mandate. Hundreds of thousands of city workers returned to their offices.

New York City took those major steps from the coronavirus pandemic Monday.

"This is recovery day," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "This is the day we have been waiting for."

De Blasio's triumphant note during his daily briefing belied significant challenges remaining for what he called the city's turnaround and comeback.

Key coronavirus indicators decreased in the last month, but more than 1,300 New Yorkers a day fall ill with COVID-19, according to city data. And pushback by city workers against vaccine mandates and parents over schools' lack of a remote option remain.

The city still marked milestones Monday, even as those challenges lingered. De Blasio said it surpassed 11 million doses of coronavirus vaccine that went into arms.

“Over 11 million, it’s a staggering figure,” he said.

Vaccination is at the heart of de Blasio's strategy to bring back the city from the pandemic. He noted the city's return of full in-person learning — which makes the city the largest school district in the nation to bring all students back to classrooms — coincided with full enforcement of the "Key To NYC" indoor vaccine mandate.

City inspectors from 13 agencies will enforce the rule, which requires proof of vaccination for a variety of indoor locations, from restaurants to entertainment venues.

The Key To NYC essentially unlocks everyday life and activities for New Yorkers, provided they're vaccinated, de Blasio said.

“You’re going to be safe wherever you go,” he said.

The mandate covers major cultural institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera and Broadway shows poised to reopen soon.