New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pressured businesses in the state to only serve vaccinated customers, claiming it would help boost the rates of those inoculated for the coronavirus.
“You can admit vaccinated-only people in to your establishment,” Cuomo said during a briefing Wednesday. “I can argue that it is a smart business practice, because I want to go to a safe restaurant, and I want to go to a safe theater, and I want to go to a safe bar.”
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo says private businesses, including stadiums and restaurants, should switch to “vaccine-only admission”
“If you say to people, ‘Well, if you don’t have a vaccine, you can’t get into these establishments,’ then you’ll see a real incentive to get vaccinated” pic.twitter.com/mQt6L7m4sH
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 2, 2021
Restricting access to private venues would provide “a real incentive for people to get the vaccine,” he said.
Cuomo pointed to several New York businesses that have reopened only for vaccinated people, such as Radio City Music Hall and Broadway.
“New York pioneered this,” he bragged.
Not long after Cuomo’s press briefing, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said vaccination will be required if residents hope to go to various indoor venues, including restaurants and gyms.
The new program, called the “Key to NYC Pass,” will require both employees and patrons to present verification of vaccination at restaurants, concert halls, and a number of other recreational facilities.
“If you want to participate in our society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated,” de Blasio announced on Tuesday.
BREAKING: NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announces first-in-the-nation policy requiring COVID vaccination for indoor activities like restaurants, fitness and entertainment. It will be phased in through August and enforcement officially begins September 13 https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/SHPeIPFLT5
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 3, 2021
Residents will have to provide proof of vaccination through Cuomo’s vaccine passport program, which is run through an app.
Those who do not comply will be barred from private businesses, and businesses that don’t enforce the mandate could be subject to fines.
De Blasio denied that the mandate would run into legal troubles, claiming that President Joe Biden‘s Justice Department ruled it was “absolutely appropriate” to move forward with a vaccine mandate.
De Blasio has already mandated that all city workers get vaccinated against the coronavirus by September of present weekly testing results to keep their jobs.
“We think it is so important to make clear that if you are vaccinated, you get to benefit in all sorts of ways,” the mayor said on Monday. “You get to live a better life. Besides your health in general, you get to participate in many, many things. And if you’re unvaccinated, they are going to be fewer and fewer things that you’re able to do.”
