New York City Announces ‘First-in-the-Nation’ Vaccine Mandate for Private Companies and Kids

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced today that he’s vastly expanding the Big Apple’s vaccine requirements.

De Blasio broke the news on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” calling it a “preemptive strike” against a possible COVID surge.

His expanded vaccine mandate applies to all private-sector workers employed by the city’s 184,000 businesses. For this reason, unvaccinated workers only have until Dec. 27 to comply.

It Will Also Affect Children

Moreover, children ages five and up shall soon have to provide proof of vaccination, too. If a child over four hasn’t received their first shot by Dec. 14 they will no longer be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, including sports. Equally important, all of them must receive their second dose by Dec. 27. (RELATED: New York City’s Vaccine Passport Threatens to Leave African Americans Behind)

As Fox News reports:

“We’ve got omicron as a new factor, we’ve got the colder weather, which is going to really create additional challenges with the delta variant, we’ve got holiday gatherings,” de Blasio said.

“We in NYC have decided to use a preemptive strike to really do something bold to stop the further growth of COVID,” de Blasio said.

…

De Blasio’s office on Monday reported that New York City has administered over 12.5 million vaccination doses. Nearly 6.5 million New Yorkers – including 89% of adults – have received at least one dose. More than 125,000 children aged 5-11 have already received at least one dose.

SEE ALSO: Federal Court Blocks Nationwide Healthcare Worker Vaccine Mandate

What’s Next for de Blasio?

De Blasio’s term ends in a couple of weeks. After some speculation, he filed paperwork last month to run for governor. His announcement comes amid the media’s latest COVID fearmongering over the omicron variant. (RELATED: ‘No One Here in South Africa is Known to Have Been Hospitalized With the Omicron Variant…’)

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.