NBCNewYork.com (08/16/21)

On Aug. 17, New Yorkers began having to show their COVID-19 vaccine card or a digital copy to be admitted into restaurants, bars, nightclubs and outdoor music festivals. "We want people to enjoy the fullness of the city, but you got to be vaccinated to do it," said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Since we made that announcement, we see our approach being emulated around the country in New Orleans, San Francisco, other places." Webinar training will be made available to businesses by Aug. 20 to help train staff in de-escalation. New York City offers a streamlined way of showing a photo of the vaccination card via its NYC COVID Safe App, in which people can store images of their cards and display them in the app when necessary. A recent rally protesting the vaccine mandate featured opponents like GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, who claimed the policy infringes on people's personal freedom. However, de Blasio says the mandate intends to curb the spread of the delta variant, which currently accounts for 90% of tested cases in the city. Meanwhile, New York City will hold a concert series to celebrate its progress against the pandemic starting Aug. 21.

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