NYC Tightens COVID Requirements For Many Activities

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On Tuesday morning, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced several new COVID-related restrictions. While the most contentious one has to do with a vaccine mandate, there are other changes that will affect you if you’re planning a trip to NYC for the Christmas season and beyond.

If you’ve been to New York City in the winter months, there’s no denying that it gets pretty cold. That means people want to stay inside, which is also the perfect environment for the spread of COVID. With the unknown Omicron variant already found in the city, it’s understandable that the guidelines would be updated to include the most recent guidance on vaccinations.

I’ve already written about the “Key to NYC” program which requires people to be vaccinated to take part in many indoor activities. The program required adults to have received one vaccine and only applied to people 12 years of age and above. With the additional time to get vaccinated and the introduction of pediatric vaccines, the guidelines have changed.

• Children: Starting December 14, children ages 5 to 11 will be required to have proof of vaccination for the public indoor activities described further below. They must show they have received at least one dose of a vaccine.
• Full Vaccination: Starting December 27, people 12 and older participating in public indoor activities will be required to show proof they have received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The Pfizer vaccine has been available for children from 5 to 11 for over a month. NYC thinks that’s plenty of time for parents to get their kids at least 1 dose of the vaccine. If they haven’t done so yet, they have another week to schedule an appointment. It’s only necessary to get the first of the two doses and there’s no requirement to wait after the vaccination date to take part in indoor activities.

Children ages 12 to 17 have been eligible for the Pfizer vaccine for several months and adults have had over 6 months of the widespread availability of vaccines. Starting December 27th, those groups will have to show full vaccination (2 mRNA shots of Moderna or Pfizer or a single J&J shot. The city is not requiring a 14-day wait after finishing the series to be considered “fully vaccinated.”

As a reminder, here are the venues covered by the “Key to NYC”:

• • Indoor dining
    • Includes restaurants, catering halls, hotel banquet rooms, bars, nightclubs, cafeterias, coffee shops, fast food restaurants, grocery stores with indoor dining and other indoor dining spaces
  • Indoor fitness
    • Includes gyms, fitness centers, fitness classes, pools, dance studios and other indoor fitness studios, such as yoga or Pilates
  • Indoor entertainment and certain meeting spaces
    • Includes movie theaters, music and concert venues, museums, aquariums and zoos, professional sports arenas, indoor stadiums, convention centers, exhibition halls, hotel meeting and event spaces, performing arts theaters, bowling alleys, arcades, pool and billiard halls, recreational game centers, adult entertainment and indoor play areas

The requirements apply to all guests but also to all employees working at these locations as well.

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