New York City Will Become a Test Case for Private-Sector Vaccine Mandates
In early November, the U.S. federal government issued an emergency rule that would require COVID-19 vaccination or frequent testing for all employees of companies with more than 100 workers. It was almost immediately challenged by a number of states and remains tangled up in legal battles.
Now, we’ll find out how successful a city can be at imposing a similar rule: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced a sweeping, first-of-its-kind vaccine mandate for all private-sector workers, which will affect about 184,000 businesses. The measure is a “preemptive strike” against the Omicron variant, de Blasio said during an interview on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe."
“We’re under attack … from the coronavirus,” de Blasio said, citing several factors compounding the virus’ spread: colder weather, which will push people indoors; holiday gatherings; and the still-active Delta variant, which remains the dominant strain in the U.S. He later added during a press conference: “We need to take very bold action. We're seeing restrictions starting to come back. We're seeing shutdowns. We cannot let those restrictions come back. We cannot have shutdowns in New York.”
New York City’s municipal employees are already subject to a vaccine mandate, which means—coupled with today’s rule—almost everyone who works in the city will be required to get inoculated. The new mandate for private-sector employees goes into effect on Dec. 27. At that time, employees must have at least one dose of the vaccine; those who work remotely won’t be required to get their shots. Getting tested regularly will not be an alternative, though exemptions will be allowed for valid medical or religious reasons. (De Blasio has not yet specified whether employees who receive exemptions are subject to frequent testing; additional guidance will be released on Dec. 15.)
De Blasio’s aggressive move comes as reports say the Omicron variant has been detected in at least 17 U.S. states. “We are everyday hearing about more and more probable cases,” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky yesterday told ABC News. Some of those affected were exposed to the virus at a recent New York City anime convention, at which a Minnesota man who contracted the virus met up with about 35 friends—half of whom have since tested positive for the virus, per the WashingtonPost.
Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City—a prominent business group—told the New York Times that she was surprised by de Blasio’s announcement. “We were blindsided. There’s no forewarning, no discussion, no idea about whether it’s legal or who he expects to enforce it,” she said.
An interesting twist to de Blasio’s mandate: his term as mayor is about to expire. A spokesperson for Eric Adams, who takes office on Jan. 1, told the Times that “the mayor-elect will evaluate this mandate and other COVID strategies when he is in office and make determinations based on science, efficacy and the advice of health professionals.”
More than 580 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of yesterday afternoon, of which more than 471.7 million doses have been administered, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 60% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
More than 265.8 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 9 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 5.2 million people have died. On Dec. 5, there were 423,308 new cases and 7,169 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 4 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 49 million coronavirus cases as of 9 a.m. E.T. today. More than 788,000 people have died. On Dec. 5, there were 34,221 new cases and 161 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Dec. 6, 9 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
It’s a big day for de Blasio, who in addition to a new vaccine mandate announced that effective Dec. 14, kids ages 5 to 11 will be required to show proof of vaccination to participate in certain activities in New York City. That includes dining indoors and entering fitness and entertainment venues, as well as participating in extracurriculars such as sports, band, orchestra and dance.
A cruise ship docked near New Orleans yesterday with 17 COVID-19 cases aboard, health officials said. That figure includes one “probable” case of Omicron, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The ship, which has more than 3,200 passengers, departed the U.S. on Nov. 28 and made stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico. Norwegian Cruise Lines said it was testing everyone on board before they disembarked, and that it had implemented quarantine, isolation and contact-tracing protocols to deal with the confirmed cases, NPR reports.
Two hippos in Belgium that were “expelling snot” from their noses tested positive for COVID-19—the first known cases of the virus among the species, per the BBC. The hippos, who are ages 14 and 41, are now quarantining at Antwerp Zoo. (That means they’re in isolation, away from other zoo residents, and can’t be seen by visitors.) Their handlers tested negative for COVID-19 and will be taking precautions such as wearing masks and safety glasses while tending to the animals.
Italy is tightening restrictions on unvaccinated residents: Starting today, those who aren’t fully inoculated against COVID-19 will not be permitted to enter indoor restaurants, theaters or museums,the Associated Press reports. The restrictions are effective through Jan. 15. Coronavirus cases have been steadily rising in Europe, prompting Michael Ryan, the head of the emergencies program at the World Health Organization, to describe the current situation as a “crisis.”
The U.S. will invest an additional $400 million in global COVID-19 vaccine distribution, according to an announcement today from Samantha Power, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The money will help augment the work of the recently created initiative’s work, Initiative for Global Vaccine Access, which will include a focus on increasing vaccine support to countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Today's newsletter was written by Angela Haupt and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
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