Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr
Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday said he wants New York City to take a step towards normalcy in the coming weeks as he expressed his interest in phasing out the city’s indoor vaccine mandate. During a press conference, Adams stated that he “can’t wait” to follow in the footsteps of Boston and Philadelphia, which in the past week rolled back indoor vaccine mandates that required guests to present proof of vaccination at restaurants, bars, fitness centers, and indoor entertainment venues.
Adams said that he will continue to follow the science which will determine when the mandate can be lifted. New York City’s indoor vaccine mandate has been in effect since August.
“I take my hat off to New Yorkers, through masks, through vaccines, through social distancing, we were hit with the uncertainty, the fear of Covid,” Adams said Wednesday during an unrelated press conference in Brooklyn.
“I’m really proud of how we responded as New Yorkers. And every morning I meet with my health professionals because I’ve always stated that I’m going to follow the science. I’m not going to get ahead of the science because I’m ready to get ahead of all of this and get back to a level of normalcy.”
The lifting of the indoor vaccine mandate means unvaccinated Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving would be able to play in games at the Barclays Center. Irving has been outspoken against the vaccine requirement and hasn’t been able to participate in home games or games in cities which have instated an indoor vaccine mandate.
Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul dropped the state’s indoor mask mandate due to a steep decline in positive cases, deaths, and hospitalizations due to Covid-19. However, masks are still required in schools, childcare centers, health care facilities, and public spaces like subways, trains, buses, and airplanes.
According to the city’s Health Department, all Covid-19 metrics are currently decreasing, with the 7-day positive testing rate at 1.71 percent. Citywide, 77 percent of adults and 42 percent of children aged 5 to 12 are fully vaccinated.
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