Due to the ongoing threat of the Delta COVID-19 variant throughout NY, Governor Cuomo announced new safety mandates & suggestions at his daily press conference today.
First, all MTA & Port Authority transit workers will be required to show proof of vaccination or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing starting Labor Day. This comes after he announced the same requirement of all NYS workers last week (which followed Mayor de Blasio’s same mandate for city workers).
Beginning Labor Day, all @MTA employees & NY employees of the Port Authority will be required to either be vaccinated or get tested weekly.
Amid the growing threat of the #DeltaVariant, this precaution will help ensure the health & safety of these dedicated workforces.
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) August 2, 2021
Next, he encouraged private businesses like restaurants, stadiums, etc. to only allow admission to those who have proof of vaccination. Some restaurants in NYC have already undertaken this same policy, like renowned restauranteur Danny Meyer’s establishments (beginning Sept. 7).
“Private businesses, I am asking them and suggesting to them: go to vaccine-only admission,” the Governor said. “And I believe it’s in your best business interest.”
“If you say to people, ‘If you don’t have a vaccine, you can’t get into these establishments’—then you’ll see a real incentive to get vaccinated,” he added. Of course, this isn’t a mandate, just a request/strong suggestion.
In NYC specifically, Mayor de Blasio also made COVID-19-related announcements today, though they didn’t include a new mask mandate as anticipated. Instead, he “strongly suggested” that vaccinated individuals start wearing masks indoors in NYC again (as the CDC had recommended recently), and also announced that any new city workers will be required to show proof of vaccination before starting their jobs this fall.