If you made plans to travel to New York City for a concert at Madison Square Garden, Town Hall, Brooklyn Steel or any other number of concert venues this summer—and you still haven’t gotten vaccinated—you might need to give away your tickets.
This morning, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that customers wanting to enjoy indoor dining, concerts and performances in the Big Apple will now have to show proof of vaccination to do so. That mandate is also in effect for indoor gyms and fitness centers, and extends to all of the various workers involved with the restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues (per the mayor, “proof of vaccination” equals one jab).
“If you want to participate in society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated,” de Blasio tweeted this morning. “It’s time.” (He also hosted a press conference, concurrently.)
The mandate will go into effect on August 16, but because of its rollout, which will include an effort to educate businesses and answer their questions about it, it won’t be enforced until September 13.
As the New York Times notes, the mandate mirrors those that have already been in place in France and Italy since last month. This may be the first time in US history this type of mandate has ever been put in place.
This is all in an effort to get more people in NYC vaccinated, with the City even offering the unvaccinated a $100 incentive to get their first jab.