New York City's COVID -19 vaccine mandate kicked in this week — meaning that people who want to dine indoor places, work out at a gym or attend an indoor concert must show proof they have gotten at least one of their shots.
The citywide mandate is the first such requirement in the nation and will officially kick off Tuesday with inspections and enforcement not starting until Sept. 13 Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.
To begin with, we're going to do a lot of education, help people understand how it is going to work, get everyone ready for it and then the specific inspections and enforcement measures will begin on Monday, September 13, he said at a press conference.
De Blasio has hailed the so-called Key to NYC plan as a key measure to reduce the spread of the highly contagious Delta strain — but big Apple businesses are expecting to face challenges.
Art Depole, who co-owns a Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes Franchise in Midtown Manhattan told CNBC he expects a free-for-all where customers and restaurants are not really going to know what's happening with this.
Depole added that most of his employees are vaccinated but a handful of unvaccinated workers have threatened to quit if getting the vaccine becomes a prerequisite to employment.
The owner, whose restaurant is located between the tourist hotspots of Times Square and Herald Square, added that handling out-of-towners will add another difficulty in the new policy.
It seems like more of the locals understand it, but the tourists and out-of-towners say, 'Oh no, that's the last time you're going to see me in the city, he told CNBC. It could also cause confusion and pose problems to tourists and New Yorkers who received vaccinations outside the US.
Stacey Widlitz, a retail consultant, was given the new vaccine for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK. She said she has already faced difficulties getting some Big Apple businesses that are already mandating proof of vaccination to accept her jab.
I am not a tourist, but I was given my vaccination in London and they don't know what to do on an app with a barcode from a foreign country that they don't recognise, Widlitz told CNBC. The Oxford - AstraZeneca Covid 19 vaccine has not been approved in the US, but the drugmaker said last month it intends to seek U.S. approval later this year. It has already delivered more than 1 billion doses to other countries.
Meanwhile, Shane Hathaway, owner of Midtown's Hold Fast Kitchen Spirits, said it's just one more rule his business will have to adapt to.
And we have already been pushed through December. Outside we have the heaters. She told ABC 7 that we had the ability to adjust, he said. While New York City is the first major US city to establish a vaccination requirement, the surge in COVID - 19 cases driven by the Delta variant has spurred businesses elsewhere to roll out similar measures.
Still, restaurant owners across the country say mandates place restaurant workers on the front lines of the latest pandemic culture war.
James Lim, owner of the Watson's Counter restaurant and cafe in the Ballard, Washington suburb of Seattle, told Wall Street Journal that while most of his customers support his vaccine mandate a vocal minority oppose it passionately.
People scream through the phone to us. They say racist things. It is all about vaccines, Lim said.
Meghna Prakash, co-owner of restaurant Off Alley in Seattle, told the Journal that some people had even accused her of discriminating against unvaccinated people.
What do some people feel of pranks on the online stores despite having never drank at her place?
Doing these decisions by ourselves puts targets on our backs, says she.