What you need to know
- Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order exempting New York executives from the private sector vaccination mandate, but leaving the rule in place for the vast majority of private employees across the city.
- Reports of the plan sparked an immediate backlash, with many calling it unfair that New York City workers remain suspended without pay while millionaire professionals and artists may be about to get a pass.
- Given the massive outcry and calls for the sick over the mandate when Adams’ predecessor introduced it in late December, his anticipated move raises the question of whether the disruption could repeat itself.
The inflexible Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday officially announced an executive order exempting New York City’s professional athletes and entertainers from the private sector COVID vaccination mandate, but leaving it in place for the vast majority of employees. need.
Declaring his decision “tough” in the interests of New York’s post-pandemic economic recovery, Adams appeared to be preparing for the controversy that began brewing a day ago after the news of his intentions and has since intensified.
“I am the mayor of the city, and I have a difficult choice to make. People are not going to agree with some of them,” Adams said. “I was not chosen to follow them. I was chosen not to be afraid, but to be fearless. I have to move this city forward.”
“I’m not making this decision arbitrarily or randomly,” Adams said. “The city must function. Some boo us, some cheer us on – it’s not just baseball, it’s the game of life and we have to be on the field to win.”
The Democrat insisted that his decision was intended to put New York performers, which in this case included athletes, on equal terms. millionaires over the general public who elected him.
“Hometown players were at a disadvantage compared to those who came to visit,” Adams said of the mandate, which previously exempted only non-NYC residents. “It’s unimaginable to treat our performers differently because they lived and played for home teams. Unacceptable. It’s a voluntary disadvantage.”
Watch Mayor Eric Adams’ full announcement in the player below.
Adding New York-based performers, including outspoken unvaccinated ones like Nets star Kyrie Irving, who had to stay away from home playing away, to the exemption list, the mayor insisted, is an equalizer and a stimulus to the economy.
“By putting our home teams on a level playing field, we increase their chances of winning and that has a real impact on this city. It’s not just fans in the stands, it’s fans in stores,” said a CitiField Democrat, arguing that a home playoff game is worth millions in impact. “These are real dollars, and they play an important role.”
The amended exception to the private sector vaccine mandate is effective immediately. The change allows players like Irving to take the floor again and any unvaccinated Met to hit home on Opening Day next week. The Yankees will be able to do the same after their road streak to open the season.
We just make sure that the rules apply equally to all performers, no matter where they perform their craft.
NEW YORK MAYOR ERIC ADAMS ON REQUEST VACCINE EXCEPTION
Adams said the change only applies to a “small number” of people as most have completed the vaccination mandate. He did not say how much and tried to make it clear that he thinks vaccination is the right course for everyone.
“We’re just making sure the rules apply equally to all performers, no matter where they perform their craft,” the mayor said.
Some have asked what about the janitors and assistants who run the Barclays Center. What about the NYPD and FDNY, which had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the city prior to the original mandate, leading to protests and disease? What about the average private worker who was suspended from work without pay?
Responding just two days ago, Adams said he had no plans to revise the private sector mandate just yet, calling the workplace an “important environment.” He said he was following the science and that baseball and basketball would “have to wait.”
Called about that Thursday, the mayor said, “Two days is still a wait.” He also said he wanted to change the rule when he first took office, but was advised against it by his medical staff given the skyrocketing rise in omicron infections across the country.
Adams reiterated his “peel off layers” approach to COVID restrictions, citing this latest announcement as another step in the process. Many are outraged.
News of Adams’ intentions sparked an immediate backlash as it broke late Wednesday night, with many calling it unfair that city workers, many of whom survived the pandemic when there was no vaccine available, remain suspended without pay for waivers of doses at the time. how performers-millionaires get to pass.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to make a COVID-related policy change that Nets fans will appreciate, allowing athletes to be exempt from the city’s private sector vaccination requirements. Although some are unhappy with this decision. Reporting by Adam Harding and Bruce Beck from NBC New York.
The city suspended many government employees – about 1,500 of them – for refusing to get vaccinated, including government employees such as firefighters and sanitation workers. All employers are expected to ban unvaccinated workers from shared workplaces. Adams said Thursday he has no plans to rehire them.
Staten Island council member Joe Borelli called the decision “appalling.”
“We’re laying off our own employees, but we’re allowing exceptions for the quirky,” he said. “What is the reason for exempting basketball players from the municipal mandate to vaccinate the private sector, but not doormen or arena janitors? There must be a compelling public interest to undermine the equal application of our laws. What it is?”
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch was equally opposed.
“We’ve been suing the city for months over its arbitrary and capricious vaccination mandate – that’s exactly what we’re talking about. If the mandate is not needed by famous people, then it is not needed by the cops who guard our city in the midst of a criminal crisis, ”said Lynch.
“While celebrities were in isolation, NYPD officers were on the street throughout the pandemic, working without proper personal protective equipment and in many cases contracting and recovering from COVID themselves,” he added. “They don’t deserve to be treated like second-class citizens.”
Adams, a prominent Mets fan, said he felt his predecessor’s vaccination rule was unfair to athletes and performers because the loophole allowed visiting players and performers who don’t work in New York to continue playing or performing even if they were unvaccinated.
Creating special exemptions for athletes or entertainers could potentially lead to lawsuits alleging that the city is not applying the law uniformly.
And with widespread protests and calls for the sick over former mayor Bill de Blasio’s imposition of a vaccination mandate in late December, Adams’ pending move raises the question of whether such disruptions could happen again.
Under the old rules, unvaccinated Yankees and Mets players were not allowed to play home games. These rules have kept Irving, one of the most prominent proponents of vaccination, both because of his fame and his outspokenness, from playing at Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden since he returned to the team in December.
On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced major new expansions to the vaccination mandate. Reported by Andrew Siff.
Fans are somewhat hesitant to let Irving, who is openly resistant to the COVID vaccine, finally take to the court after months away from home games.
Some say they’re excited about what his return could mean for the team, but still feel he should get vaccinated. Other fans say he should never have stayed at home.
Brandon Kuti, sportswriter for Star-Ledger and NJ.com, said the rule change is a huge win for Irving and his ilk.
“Kyrie Irving comes out on top: he can play without a vaccine. Whether you agree or not, he got what he wanted,” Kuti said. “This should be a huge relief for sports fans, and they don’t have to worry about unvaccinated Yankees and Mets players.”
New York’s new COVID-19 policy could allow unvaccinated players like Kyrie Irving to play home games in New York.
The Mets were one of six Major League Baseball teams that fell short of the 85 percent vaccination threshold to allow relaxed protocols last season.
Mets executives said on Thursday that 99.5% of its employees are currently vaccinated, but pressed on, admitting that “the players are kind of over the top.” They did not name the exact number of players who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID. The team also admitted that they fired the stadium workers because of the mandate.
While the Yankees have surpassed the Mets’ early benchmark, the team is known to have several key unvaccinated players. Just nine days ago, Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge declined to say whether he had been vaccinated or not.
Unvaccinated MLB players are currently not allowed to travel to Canada to face the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center and will not be paid for those games. Until now, they were also not allowed to play in the Bronx.
The upcoming season includes 92 Yankee games at these venues.
The Yankees, who open the season at home against the Boston Red Sox on April 7, said ahead of the official announcement that the team president is “working with City Hall and all other relevant officials on this matter.”
Brooklyn residents react to Kyrie Irving’s decision not to get vaccinated. John Chandler reports.