Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed on Friday that private businesses in New York City start to use vaccine passports to force people to show medical proof of vaccination before being allowed into a business.
He reaffirmed his support for a “Key to NYC” vaccine passport, which would compel New Yorkers to show proof of vaccination before dining out, going to the gym, or attending cultural events.
Vaccine passports will “unquestionably be seen a lot more” in the near future, said the mayor:
“The Key to NYC Pass, this is what’s going to be happening all over the country. Make no mistake. What we have put in place related to indoor dining, indoor entertainment, indoor fitness is the shape of things to come. You’re going to see more and more companies do the same thing. You’re going to see more cities, more counties, more states do the same thing, because it’s time. And I want to thank President Joe Biden, who embraced this idea immediately, literally within hours. This needs to be done all over this country to stop the Delta variant.”
“If people want freedom, if people want jobs, if people want to live again, we have got to get more people vaccinated,” de Blasio said on Friday during his monthly radio interview on WNYC. “Of course, this is the moment for whatever mandates we can get.”
He went on to say, “I’m calling upon all New York City employers, including our private hospitals: Move immediately to some form of mandate, whatever the maximum you feel you can do.”
A reporter questioned De Blasio about his belief that other cities in the United States desire to do the same “emulate Key to NYC pass. Can you give us more details?” The reporter inquired if any other leaders or officials had approached him.
De Blasio declined to provide specifics, claiming “respect” for how individuals in power must rule and carry out their duties. “But there’s definitely been a lot of interest from the public and private sector,” he said.
