New York City's latest COVID-19 vaccine mandate requiring private-sector workers to show they have received at least one vaccine dose was implemented on Monday.
The new mandate requires the city's businesses to confirm and record all employees' vaccination statuses. Employees who have only gotten one dose will need to get their second within 45 days.
Businesses that do not comply face fines upward of $1,000, though New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said this is a last resort.
The new rules are meant to help curb a recent rise in COVID-19 cases. According to state statistics, the state averaged 6,786 cases in the past 28 days. The Mayo Clinic's New York COVID-19 maps show a drastic increase in positive test rates, from 2.6 percent at the end of October to 11.7 percent as of December 25.
The mandate applies to private businesses where the work is happening in front of another person, whether that be a co-worker or a customer. It covers about 184,000 businesses from massive corporations to "mom and pop shops." It does not allow people who do not want to get vaccinated to regularly test instead.
The businesses will also be required to sign a form affirming that they are complying with the order and display it in a "public-facing location."
In addition to business requirements, any New Yorkers aged 12 and older will be required to show proof of two vaccine doses–not just one anymore–to go inside restaurants, gyms and theaters.
On MSNBC's Morning Joe, de Blasio said more U.S. cities should consider implementing mandates like New York's.
"We're implementing the strongest vaccine mandate in the country," he said. "This is what we need to do everywhere. Every mayor, every governor, every CEO in America should do vaccine mandates now...2022 has to be the year we leave COVID behind."
Eric Adams is set to take over as the city's mayor on January 1. According to a statement from spokesman Evan Thies, once Adams takes office, he will evaluate whether to keep the mandate, making "determinations based on science, efficacy and the advice of health professionals."
Businesses are not required to discipline or fire non-compliant workers, but they must keep them out of the workplace. Workers seeking an accommodation on religious grounds can come to work while their request is pending.
Vaccinations are already required in the city for hospital and nursing home workers and for city employees, including teachers, police officers and firefighters. The city also enacted a vaccination requirement for dining indoors at a restaurant, going to a gym or seeing a show.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
