New York becomes first U.S. city to order COVID vaccines for restaurants, gyms

[August 04, 2021]  By Maria Caspani and Dan Whitcomb

NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York City will become the first major U.S. city to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination at restaurants, gyms and other businesses, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday, as the nation grapples with the rapidly spreading Delta variant.

With vaccines widely available, political leaders were combating the latest surge in infections with shots and masks rather than ordering businesses to close and Americans to stay home as they did last year. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued a new 60-day moratorium on residential evictions in areas with high levels of COVID-19 cases, despite a Supreme Court ruling in June suggesting that such a move would require Congress to pass new legislation.

The U.S. government and several states, along with some hospitals and universities, already require employees to get inoculated. Tyson Foods on Tuesday became one of the largest private employers to require workers to be immunized to combat the virus that has killed over 600,000 in the country.

New York City's policy requires proof of at least one dose and will be enforced starting Sept. 13. Like mask mandates and last year's stay-at-home orders, the plan will likely meet stiff resistance.

In France, government imposition of a nationwide health passport proving vaccination has touched off large protests, often dispersed by police using tear gas.

Government vaccine passports are controversial among Americans as well, especially conservatives.

"It is time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life," de Blasio, a Democrat, told a news conference.

New York City on Tuesday became the first major U.S. city to require proof of vaccine for some indoor activities at restaurants, fitness centers and some entertainment venues. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is aiming to give full approval for the Pfizer COVID vaccine by early September, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing people involved in the effort.

Roughly 60% of all New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to city data. But certain areas, largely poor communities and communities of color, have much lower vaccination rates.

The city's announcement comes as cases surge nationwide. Florida and Louisiana have emerged as the latest hot spots, straining hospitals. 

Florida and Louisiana are both reporting record numbers of hospitalized COVID patients, as one doctor warned of the "darkest days" yet.

More than 11,300 patients were hospitalized in Florida as of Tuesday, with COVID patients filling 22% of the state's hospital beds, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . In highly vaccinated Vermont, 0.4% of its hospital beds are occupied by coronavirus patients.

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