Woman in a mask holding up a syringe.

NYC Now Requiring COVID-19 Vaccination to Go to Restaurants, Gyms, Other Indoor Venues

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Great news for New Yorkers: You have to be vaccinated in order to go to restaurants, gyms, and other indoor venues in the city! Or, I guess, great news for those of us who did our part and got the jab and want to go live our lives without being endangered by the unvaccinated!

New York City has had quite the journey with COVID-19. We started as the COVID hub in the United States, but we’ve come a long way since then, and with vaccines, the city has come alive once again.

But the looming threat of breakthrough cases with the more-contagious Delta variant, and unvaccinated people going into the same spaces as everyone else—and just not wearing masks because they don’t care about anyone else in that location—have kept many New Yorkers (myself included) on the edge of events or just staying inside to be safe. Now though, the city is basically saying that if you’re not vaccinated, then you can’t do anything, and I absolutely love it and wish others would follow suit.

Mayor Bill de Blasio told the public today that in order to go into bars, entertainment venues, and basically any place indoors, you’d have to show proof of vaccination. Whether that’s your vaccine card or your Excelsior Pass (which checks New York records to confirm your vaccination status) is up to you, but all restaurants and indoor venues must require them, and god, that’s music to my ears.

“If you’re unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things,” de Blasio said. “If you want to participate in our society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated.” And great! More cities, do this!!!! It’s as simple as this: If those who want to have a “choice” in the matter and put others at risk by not getting the vaccine, then cities can make the choice to tell them they can’t enter certain locations or do anything while there. You can make your choice, but there are consequences that go with it, just like any choice.

Leonardo DiCaprio shrugging.

It’s the choice of the unvaccinated to not get the vaccine (with the exception of those who are not eligible yet) and at this point, it’s everyone else’s choice who is vaccinated to make it so they can’t do anything because of their unvaccinated status. Frankly, it’s only fair that everyone who spent a year inside, followed basic pandemic safety guidance, and got the vaccine, should be able to go about their lives without having to be endangered by the bad decisions of those who are now dragging this pandemic out longer than it needed to be.

I hope more cities do this. I hope that everyone in the United States basically makes it so those who are not vaccinated can’t do anything inside, and that’s that. Because otherwise, we’re never getting out of this pandemic, and that’s not fair to anyone at all, especially those still doing their part.

(featured image: ROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

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Rachel Leishman
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.