Boston mayor compared vaccination policy to slavery-era freedom papers and childbirth



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“There is a long history in this country of people having to show their papers,” Janey told CNN affiliate WCVB Tuesday when reporters asked her about the New York City announcement.

Janey went on to list several examples of how people in the United States have been asked to provide documents in the past, “during slavery, after slavery, as recently as … [the] the immigrant population must pass through here. We heard Trump with the birth certificate nonsense, ”she said.

“Here, we want to make sure that we’re not doing anything that might create more barriers for Boston residents or disproportionately impact BIPOC communities (black, native, and people of color),” Janey said.

These places will not let you in without proof of vaccination

In a statement to CNN, Janey said she “wants to see all Boston residents get vaccinated” and that “requiring vaccines in public places will have a disproportionate impact on low-income families and in communities of color. “.

City officials are ensuring immunization rates are on the rise “in every neighborhood and in every community,” Janey said in the statement.

Janey runs one of America’s oldest cities on an interim basis after President Joe Biden hired former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to serve in his administration as Secretary of Labor. She is running for a full mandate as mayor.

Other mayoral candidates, all of whom are women or people of color, have expressed opposition to Janey’s remarks on the vaccination rule.

“When we are fighting a deadly virus and vaccine hesitation, that kind of rhetoric is dangerous,” tweeted one of the candidates, Boston City Councilor Andrea J. Campbell.

“Showing proof of vaccination is not slavery or childbirth. We’re too close to give ground to COVID. Science is science. It’s pretty simple – Vax and mask,” said Campbell writes.

Campbell and Janey are the only black women running for mayor on the ballot.

City Councilor Michelle Wu, who is another mayoral candidate, said in a tweet on Tuesday: “Our leaders need to build confidence in vaccines.”

Wu said she supported the requirement of vaccines for city workers and “the requirement for proof of vaccination to protect people … so the burden does not fall on our small businesses and workers.”

Janey’s remarks come after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a policy that will require people to show proof of vaccination to enter all restaurants, fitness centers and indoor entertainment venues.

“If you are not vaccinated, unfortunately you will not be able to participate in a lot of things,” said de Blasio. “If you want to participate fully in our society, you need to get vaccinated.”

A written statement from Janey’s office, obtained by WCVB, says the city has no plans for “commercial section vaccination warrants” but city officials are meeting with restaurants and bars to discuss “the overlaps. between their customers and new trends in COVID-19 cases ”.

CNN’s Nicole Chavez contributed to this report.

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