NYC Gov. Agencies, Corps, Venues Get Serious About Vaccines

As of August, about 75% of New Yorkers had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, but as the delta variant surges across the city, state and nation, government agencies, venues and other businesses have become more aggressive about helping to get more shots in arms. They know full well the last thing NYC needs is another devastating shutdown.

Some businesses are curbing admission to unvaccinated guests, while others are requiring employees to be vaccinated before they can return to work. NYC often leads the nation on important trends, and it is likely that companies and government agencies across the nation will follow suit.

The following is a list of some of the businesses, organizations and agencies that have instituted vaccine measures, as of Aug.

• The Durst Organization has said it will fire employees who are still unvaccinated after Labor Day.
• The Related Cos. are requiring all workers to have received at least their first vaccine shot by Aug. 31 or they will be terminated.
• All the NYC’s roughly 340,000 workers must be vaccinated by mid-September or face weekly “swab up the nose” Covid-19 tests. The mandate includes teachers and police officers.
• All state workers must be vaccinated by Labor Day or face weekly testing.
• Port Authority and Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers not vaccinated by Labor Day will be tested weekly.
• BlackRock said only vaccinated workers can return to the office.
• Morgan Stanley began requiring employees to be vaccinated before coming back to the office, as of July 12.
• Citigroup told employees returning to offices in the New York area and other big U.S. cities they’ll need to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The company said it expects employees to begin returning to offices at least two days per week starting Sept. 13.
• The Equinox Group said it would require employees and members to show proof of vaccination starting in Aug.
• Union Square Hospitality said the company’s full-service restaurants in the city – including the Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern – would require staff and indoor-dining guests to show proof of vaccination.
• All Broadway theatergoers must show proof of vaccination. Performers, backstage crew and theater staff also must be vaccinated. Attendees must show proof they have been fully vaccinated entering a theater. Even with this proof, masks will be mandatory, except when eating or drinking in certain areas. The theaters will make exemptions for children under 12 or those who cannot be vaccinated because of medical conditions or religious beliefs, but they must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test.
• New York–Presbyterian announced its staff must have received a first dose no later than Sept. 1.
• Northwell Health began implementing a “vaccine or weekly testing” policy on Aug. 16. All new hires, students and volunteers must be fully vaccinated.
• Mount Sinai said it will require any unvaccinated staff, faculty or trainees to undergo weekly Covid-19 testing starting Sept. 1.
• NYC Health + Hospitals workers at the city’s public health system must be vaccinated or be subject to weekly testing.
• Google’s 10,000 New York employees, mostly on Manhattan’s West Side, must get vaccinated. The company pushed back its return-to-office date until at least Oct.
• Facebook, which has two large offices on the West Side, is requiring vaccinations for people returning to its offices.
• Uber delayed its return to the office until October, with a requirement that workers be vaccinated.
• Netflix has mandated vaccines for all U.S. workers.
• New York City’s Public Hotel, near the Bowery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, insists all guests, visitors and staff be vaccinated. It was the city’s first hotel to mandate vaccines.

Riding the wave of vaccine mandates, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Aug. 3 that New Yorkers will have to show proof of vaccination at gyms, bars, restaurants and live performances, as part of the city’s Keys to NYC Pass program. Enforcement is scheduled to begin Sept. 13.

To prove they’re vaccinated, New Yorkers can use the NYC Covid Safe app or the state’s Excelsior Pass, or they can show their vaccination card. In late July, de Blasio said the city would give $100 incentives to New Yorkers who get vaccinated.

Both the Governor and Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered state and city workers to get vaccinated or face getting their noses poked with a Covid-19 test, but it has been the city’s business leaders that took the reins and began to speak with a single voice on vaccines. It has otherwise been a struggle for elected leaders.

Across New York state, patient-facing state hospital workers will be required to be vaccinated by Labor Day, with no option for weekly testing, unless they receive a qualified medical or religious exemption.

President Joe Biden has also said that unvaccinated federal employees and contractors must wear masks at work, remain socially distanced and get tested regularly.

Sources: Crain’s New York Business, Crain’s New York Business, Crain’s New York Business