New York Mayor Bill de Blasio went the full Macron on Tuesday, and God bless him for being the first American leader to demand proof of vaccination for patrons to enter the city’s indoor establishments for dining, fitness and entertainment. To beat back rising COVID-19 numbers as the delta variant continues spreading, starting in two weeks, both employees and patrons will need to provide a verified vaccine record or a legitimate medical exemption to be inside where people are eating, exercising and cheering. We’ll drink to that (and sweat to it and applaud as well).
French President Emmanuel Macron did the same thing in July, covering bars, restaurants and cafes, as well as long-distance trains. Macron was attacked by the left and the right, protested in the streets and depicted as Hitler (which is actually a crime in France) — but France’s national vaccination rates skyrocketed. That’s the only goal. That is how to end COVID-19 and end the restrictions.
While Macron gives Frenchmen and Frenchwomen the option to also show a negative COVID-19 test, we trust that de Blasio has no such out. Vax or stay out, stay away and stay home. Get the shot, and come right in.
Like the delta variant, this incentive to vaccinate in order to enter needs to spread across America. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he likes it and hopes other places adopt it. He did the same in lauding de Blasio’s $100 reward for getting a shot, which is showing up all over the country and boosting vaccination rates.
The de Blasio move on mandatory vaccines also answers how his “strongly recommended” use of masks indoors meshes with indoor eateries: Wear a mask everywhere indoors and only take it off if everyone present has been vaccinated. That’s logical. Like the new vaccination rule, indoor masks should be mandatory.
We know how to slow, stop and ultimately beat COVID-19. The vaccine is the best weapon, with a ready assist from the mask.
