Enforcement actions for NYC COVID mandates start Monday: Heres what you need to know – SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A precedent-setting New York City mandate requiring all employees and patrons of more than 30 different types of businesses -- including restaurants, gyms and performance venues -- to show proof they received the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine that took effect last month will now be enforced starting Monday, Sept. 13.

That means only vaccinated people can eat indoors at a restaurant, be a guest inside a catering hall, workout inside a gym or attend a concert.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the vaccine mandate is necessary to help end the pandemic, especially after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the delta variant is as contagious as the chicken pox.

If youre unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things. Thats the point were trying to get across, de Blasio said last month when he initiated the mandate. Its time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary for living a good and full and healthy life.

The city has provided small businesses with posters and flyers to alert customers of the new mandates.

The flyers alert patrons to the mandate and that children under 12 are exempt from the requirement, which the mayors dubbed the Key to NYC. In addition, the flyers provide information about how to get a free coronavirus vaccine.

Patrons and staff will need to provide proof of at least one coronavirus vaccination shot before entering the affected businesses. Acceptable forms of proof are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine cards, the states Excelsior Pass phone app, and the citys COVID Safe app.

There is information available on the citys website that provides businesses with best practices about checking vaccines, dealing with complaints, and the process for recognizing and reporting fake vaccination cards.

INDOOR DINING

More than 30 types of businesses will be affected by the citys coronavirus vaccine mandates.

The indoor dining guidance pertains to restaurants, catering halls, event spaces, hotel banquet rooms, bars, nightclubs, cafeterias, grocery stores with indoor dining, coffee shops and fast food or quick service with indoor dining, according to the city.

INDOOR FITNESS

The indoor fitness venues include all gyms, fitness centers, fitness classes, pools, indoor studios and dance studios, according to the city.

INDOOR ENTERTAINMENT

Indoor entertainment venues include movie theaters, music and concert venues, museums, aquariums and zoos, professional sports arenas, indoor stadiums, convention centers, exhibition halls, performing arts theaters, bowling alleys, arcades, pool and billiard halls, recreational game centers, adult entertainment and indoor play areas.

LAWSUIT DISMISSED

There has been several lawsuits brought by business owners to fight the mandates, the latest of which was presented by a consortium of Staten Island and Brooklyn business owners to strike down the citys vaccination mandate for restaurants, gyms and indoor entertainment venues. However, state Supreme Court Justice Lizette Colon rejected the Independent Restaurant Owners Association Rescues (I.R.O.A.R.) request for a permanent injunction to block the order on Friday.

KIDS SPORTS MANDATES

Also on Friday, just days before the start of the 2021-2022 school year, de Blasio announced that all students ages 12 and up will be required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus if they want to participate in high-risk extracurricular activities.

New York City has already implemented a similar policy for high school athletes, requiring all students participating in high-risk Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) sports to be vaccinated in order to compete.

Weve already done this for high-risk sports, and this is consistent with CDC and state guidance for young people who are involved in extracurricular activities, such as chorus, musical theater, dance, band and marching band, cheerleading, were going to have a vaccination mandate for them, de Blasio said.

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Enforcement actions for NYC COVID mandates start Monday: Heres what you need to know - SILive.com