New York City will officially become the first American city to force its citizens to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for a variety of activities – a move that bends the fabric of America.
The city’s Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday their plans to require vaccination proof to gain access to things such as indoor dining, gyms, and performances.
“It’s time for people to see vaccination as necessary to living a good and full and healthy life,” de Blasio, a Democrat, said during a news briefing. “It will require vaccination for workers and customers in indoor dining, in indoor fitness facilities, indoor entertainment facilities.”
“The only way to patronize these businesses indoors is if you’re vaccinated,” de Blasio said. “If you want to participate in society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated.”
De Blasio attempted to pass the move off as “a lifesaving mandate to keep our city safe.”
He added, “Not everyone is going to agree with this; I understand that. It’s going to guarantee a much higher level of vaccination in this city, and that is the key to protecting people and the key to our recovery. That’s why it’s the ‘Key to NYC.’”
The move, which the mayor dubbed as the “Key to NYC Pass” and is similar to vaccine mandates in France and Italy, will start later in August and enforcement will start in mid-September. Enforcement will begin on Sept. 13, following a public service announcement campaign, said the mayor, adding that entry will be denied to anyone without vaccination.
While liberal run cities and states have long teased a vaccine passport system like this, the nation’s most populous city becomes the first to deploy the un-American tactic which essentially segregates vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans.
It’s not clear if the pass will be extended to other venues, including supermarkets or places that sell essential items.
Broadway venues and Carnegie Hall, which are both in New York City, have announced they will only allow vaccinated patrons to enter their facilities. Meanwhile, Danny Meyer, the head of a restaurant group with numerous restaurants in New York City announced a similar requirement last week.
Residents will have to present the state’s “Excelsior Pass,” the city’s vaccine pass, or a paper issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), officials said, according to the New York Post.
De Blasio toyed with the possibility of a vaccine passport-type system being implemented in recent days, mandating in late July that all city healthcare workers get the shot or get a weekly COVID-19 test. That mandate was then expanded to the entire city workforce.
“More and more, there’s going to be a reality where, if you’re vaccinated, a world of opportunity opens up to you. If you’re not vaccinated, there’s going to be more and more things you can’t do,” de Blasio said several days ago.
Civil liberties groups and Republicans have flagged vaccine passport-type systems as unconstitutional, saying they imperil basic civil liberties including the right to privacy.
After France’s Parliament passed its “health pass” law, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Paris and other cities over the past weekend and the prior weekend. There were also mass protests in Italy, Greece, Switzerland, and Germany over COVID-19 mandates.
Author: David Harks
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