Coronavirus: New York will need to be vaccinated to enter restaurants or gyms | Health Pass in the Big Apple

Following the cases of people who decide not to be vaccinated as part of the pandemic, the city of New York will require proof of covid-19 vaccination for anyone wishing to eat inside a restaurant, enter a concert hall or use a gymnasium, among others, as the mayor, Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday.

“People are going to receive a very clear message: if you want to participate fully in our society, you have to get vaccinated,” De Blasio said at a press conference, in which he stressed the importance that more citizens take this step. given the advancement of the Delta variant of the virus.

Amid an increase in covid cases in the United States, De Blasio explained that the health pass, called “The Key to New York” (“The key to News York“), will be released on August 16, followed by a one month transition period.

New York is the first city in the United States to announce such demands, with which it seeks to give new impetus to the vaccination campaign, which has slowed in recent months due to the reluctance of many citizens to do so. vaccinate.

The move comes after in recent days some major restaurant and gym chains, as well as Broadway theaters, announced they would start requiring vaccination tests from their customers. De Blasio underlined this “leadership” shown by the private sector and argued that it was necessary to support it with “clear mandates”.

The new policy “will require the vaccination of workers and guests in the hotel industry, exercise or indoor entertainment,” said the mayor, who insisted that no one has been allowed to enter a business of this type will only be allowed at least one dose. .

In the hotel industry, the unvaccinated can be treated on the terraces, which have been used by most establishments since the start of the pandemic.

“If you are not vaccinated, you will unfortunately not be able to participate in many things”, noted the mayor, specifying that the objective of the new measure is “to convince everyone that this Now is the time to stop the Delta variant and that means getting the shot now. “

New York City Hall had already announced in recent days that it would force city workers to be vaccinated or undergo weekly tests, while it released an incentive of $ 100 for any citizen who comes to take the first dose in a public center.

In News YorkIn a city of more than eight million people, 71.8% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to official figures.