New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that children aged five to 11 years old will soon be required to show proof of vaccination via cards at restaurants and movies in the area.
During a remote press briefing on the latest mandate enforced by City Hall, de Blasio said that vaccination against the coronavirus works and that vaccine mandates were effective. The official said he was taking the "very bold, aggressive action" after Germany implemented a lockdown and other restrictions in response to the new Omicron coronavirus variant.
Vaccination Requirements for Kids
The city mayor is enacting stricter protocols despite the region having only recorded seven cases of the new Omicron variant and the overall coronavirus infection and hospitalization rates are some of the lowest in the United States.
Kids who are five to 11 years old will be required to show proof that they have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine to be allowed to eat outside, see a show, go to the movies, visit a fitness facility, or attend indoor entertainment venues by Dec.14. On the other hand, children aged 12 and above are required to have two doses of the vaccine by Dec. 27 unless they were inoculated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the New York Post reported.
Additionally, Mayor de Blasio enacted a jarring coronavirus vaccine mandate on Monday that will affect private-sector workers. City Councilman Joe Borelli said that the city mayor's mandate will force businesses to make a decision on whether or not they will stay in New York City.
Borelli said during an interview with Tucker Carlson that Mayor de Blasio's announcement, unfortunately, forces the businesses to question whether it would still be beneficial to stay in New York City. The official questioned the legality of de Blasio's vaccine mandate, arguing that it was not popular among residents.
"The mayor of New York is not a dictator. The commissioner can't bust down the door of an insurance company and round up people at the water cooler. So I don't know if this withstands the legal challenges that myself and other allies around the city will bring," said Borelli, Fox News reported.
Little Time Left in Office
Recently, de Blasio spent his last few remaining months as the mayor of New York City getting all the attention he can, appearing on cable news networks, and presiding over various events, including the tree-lighting ceremony held at Rockefeller Center.
Many saw the mayor's announcement of the new vaccine mandate as shrewd politics as the official mounted what is considered to be an informal primary campaign for governor. Experts believe that de Blasio's attempts will hinge on more liberal downstate Democrats.
Left-leaning Democrats are more known for supporting stricter vaccination policies in the United States. However, strategists said that new vaccine mandates risk angering the business community despite bolstering de Blasio's legacy as a national leader when it comes to vaccination against the coronavirus.
A political consultant, Hank Sheinkopf, who worked with former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that de Blasio was planning to reclaim the territory that enabled him to become the New York City mayor in the first place, Gothamist reported.
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