NEW YORK (Washington Insider Magazine) – In the coming days, New York City, the very first U.S. city to mandate vaccinations indoors, will drop its requirement for indoor businesses, restaurants, and events.
Mayor Eric Adams declared on Sunday that his government will stop requiring vaccinations on March 7 if Covid-19 case counts continue to decline. He follows city leaders in Boston and Seattle who have taken similar choices in recent weeks.
If no unexpected surges occur, the indoor mask restriction will be withdrawn at public schools on the same day, according to Adams.
He mentioned that following the midwinter vacation, over a million students would return to public schools on Monday. He added in a statement Sunday that a week of mixing on school campuses without “unforeseen spikes” in incidence numbers will affirm the termination of compulsory masks for educational facilities for the time being.
The announcement arrived as the sergeant-at-arms of the United States House of Representatives stated that masks are “now an individual choice” for those attending Tuesday’s State of the Union speech in the House chamber in Washington. The visiting physician of Congress, Dr. Brian P. Monahan stated in a coronavirus report on Sunday that Washington’s low incidence of transmission prompted the adjustment to voluntary mask-wearing at the Capitol.
According to NBC NEWS, New York City’s policy, which was initially introduced in August, requires customers to present proof of vaccination.
Vaccination is required at coffee shops, restaurants, fast-food eateries, bars, indoor fitness sites, nightclubs, billiard halls, movie theaters, stadiums and sports arenas, museums, music and concert venues, and nightclubs, among other places, however, it is not always implemented.
At an economic growth press conference last Wednesday, Adams said he was looking forward to the end.
He said he consults with health specialists on a regular basis, who have given the city structure and criteria to fulfill before it restores to pre-pandemic routine.
After a short extension until February, Gov. Kathy Hochul enabled the statewide mask regulation to expire as cases declined. A legal appeal has also been lodged against the mandate.
She emphasized declining case counts and New York’s position as the state with the maximum percentage of fully immunized adults and teens.
Experts have already warned that the epidemic is not yet ended and that outbreaks have come and gone in the last 2 years.
Despite the fact that over 96 % in New York City are at least partially vaccinated, doctors have warned that those who have been sick or who are unable to be vaccinated face risks.
Pfizer recently canceled its proposal to seek FDA approval for a prospective three-dose vaccination for children below the age of five, citing a lack of information on a possible 3-dose series.
