New York City Implements Vaccine Mandate for Private-Sector Businesses

Dec. 27, 2021—Private-sector workers will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 under new mandates that took effect in New York City on Monday, NY1 reported.

Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this month said employees of private businesses would need to submit proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by Monday, Dec. 27. As part of the mandate, employers will have to keep full records of their workers’ vaccination statuses. Businesses that do not comply face fines starting at $1,000.

The private sector mandate will apply to approximately 184,000 businesses, and the businesses can not opt out of it in favor of regular testing. 

“New York City will not give a single inch in the fight against COVID-19,” he said in a statement on Dec. 6, the day he announced the new guidelines. “Vaccination is the way out of this pandemic, and these are bold, first-in-the-nation measures to encourage New Yorkers to keep themselves and their communities safe.”