Starting today, most indoor businesses are requiring proof of vaccination for customers. Jessica Cunnington reports.
The training wheels come off Monday for New York City's indoor vaccine mandate.
More than three dozens varieties of indoor settings throughout the city are subject to a mandate requiring every guest (and employee) have proof of vaccination against COVID-19 -- enforcement of said policy begins Monday, Sept. 13.
New Yorkers have had nearly four weeks to get used to the city's mandate and build a habit of carrying a CDC vaccine card or having a smartphone app that stores that data. Businesses too, tasked with checking for proof, have been prepping since mid-August for the enforcement day. (Any businesses not in compliance could face a $1,000 fine.)
The policy aims to goad people into getting vaccinated as New York, like the rest of the country, confronts a coronavirus wave powered by the highly infectious delta variant of the virus.
There are exceptions for children under 12 — who are not yet eligible for vaccination — and athletes, contractors and some performers who don't live in the city. The policy also excludes church potlucks, community centers, office buildings, house parties (even if they're catered) and people ducking in somewhere to pick up food or use the bathroom, among other exemptions.
Here's a list of everywhere in New York City proof of vaccination will be required in order to enter:
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INDOOR ENTERTAINMENT
- Movie theaters
- Live music
- Museums and galleries
- Aquariums and zoos
- Professional sports arenas
- Stadiums
- Convention centers
- Exhibition halls
- Performing arts theaters
- Bowling alleys
- Arcades
- Pool and billiard halls
- Recreational game centers
- Casinos
- Adult entertainment
INDOOR DINING
- Restaurants
- Catering halls
- Event spaces
- Hotel banquet rooms
- Bars
- Cabarets
- Nightclubs
- Cafeterias
- Grocery stores with indoor dining
- Bakeries
- Coffee shops
- Fast food/quick service with indoor dining
INDOOR FITNESS
- Gyms
- Fitness centers
- Fitness classes
- Pools
- Indoor studios
- Dance studios
- Sports classes
