New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is going out of office with a list of sweeping new COVID-19 vaccine mandates that are angering the city’s residents, business owners, and bewildering many across the nation.
The new measures include extending the vaccine mandate to all private businesses, including more than 184,000 businesses in the city according to CNBC.
The mayor has also approved proof of vaccination for everyone 12 and over for most indoor venues such as restaurants and stores.
“Everyone 12 and older, workers and customers, will be required to show proof of two vaccine doses by that date, unless they received Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine,” CNBC reported.
Children ages 5 to 11 years old will also be required to have proof of vaccination for indoor dining. Imagine, a five-year-old now needs papers to go to McDonalds in the Big Apple!
Evidence of first vaccination shot must be by Dec. 14, just days before Christmas.
The new requirements are so extreme, it could be easy to mistake them for a joke. Sadly, they are not. De Blasio posted to Twitter on Monday, “We’re doubling down on the Key to NYC. To enjoy indoor dining, entertainment, fitness and more:
- 5-11 year olds must show proof of one vaccine starting December 14
• Everyone 12 and older must show proof of two doses starting December 27”
The requirement will also hurt kids’ sports. Anyone five and older will have to be vaccinated to participate in sports, band, dance or orchestra.
Starting December 14, 5-11 year old students must show proof of one vaccine dose to participate in high-risk extracurriculars including sports, band, and dance.
Perhaps the only good news in the disastrous decrees by tyrants like de Blasio is that he’s headed out of office. Newly elected Mayor Eric Adams will take the lead in 2022, allowing a leader who could make changes back in the other direction.
But nothing is for certain in vaccine-happy NYC. Adams supports law enforcement officers, but he is a Democrat. He has also supported the current vaccine mandates in the city, so he may not be the change agent many hope for when he enters office early next year.
The real change the Big Apple needs is some conservative leadership that would return freedom to the people of the city. Many slam former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani today, but his leadership of New York City following 9/11 was far better than what the left is offering today.
Giuliani inspired people and helped the city move forward during a dark time. De Blasio seems to only make it worse. Add the Biden administration’s inflation, increased gas prices and numerous other disasters of 2021, and the people of NYC may need the National Guard just to get through a normal day.
The key to overcoming adversity is not restricting people; it’s giving them hope. Giuliani did that years ago. It’s time for someone to do it again today.