NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that New York City will impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all private employers.
The mayor said that just about everyone working in the Big Apple will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 27.
“We in New York City have decided to use a pre-emptive strike, to do something really bold to stop the further growth of COVID,” de Blasio said on MSNBC on Monday morning.
De Blasio said city officials would lay out the details of the mandate and other new measures later in the day.
“We are focused on maximizing vaccination quickly, so we can get in front of omicron and the other variants,” he said.
“Vaccination mandates ... are the one thing that really breaks through. Let’s lean into it even more,” he added.
De Blasio also said newly eligible children ages 5 to 11 will need to get at least a first vaccine shot to participate in indoor dining and other indoor activities in the city.
Only 20% of NYC children in that age group have been vaccinated since receiving the feds gave the green light for a kids size vaccine dose last month.
De Blasio said he is confident the mandate would withstand legal challenges although President Biden’s less-stringent mandate has been blocked by courts.
The mayor framed the mandate as a needed bulwark against the fast-spreading omicron variant, especially as the weather turns colder and the end-of-year holidays and group gatherings increase.
Several cases of omicron have already been identified in the city. Although city workers are seeking to trace possible contacts of those who have tested positive for the new variant, de Blasio said NYC should assume omicron is already spreading widely here.
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