New York City has some of the strictest COVID-19 restrictions in the United States—and they just got worse. Outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that he would be expanding the city's vaccine mandate to apply to children ages 5 and older:
Children ages 5 to 11 must show proof of one vaccination dose to eat out, see a show, go to a movie theater, visit a fitness facility, or attend indoor entertainment venues by Dec. 14.
Kids over age 12 must have two doses by Dec. 27 unless they received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
De Blasio first launched the “Key to NYC” vaccine mandate for adults at all public indoor venues in August.
But the new mandate also applies to many school activities. Kids over 5 must now be vaccinated to attend “high risk” extracurricular activities like band, sports, orchestra and dance in schools.
The power trip continues! The Worst Mayor in America is requiring KIDS AGES 5-11 to show proof of COVID vaccination at indoor venues. This is about de Blasio’s ego (not science) and wanting to impose as much government control over the economy and people’s lives as possible. https://t.co/KaBUQ17fsf
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) December 6, 2021
De Blasio is also receiving criticism for a new rule that requires all private sector employees to be vaccinated.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday issued a "preemptive strike," mandating that all private sector employees in the Big Apple be vaccinated against COVID-19 amid the new threat posed by the omicron variant beginning Dec. 27. . .
De Blasio described the move as a "first in the nation measure," to cover all private sector employers in New York City with the requirement.
The new mandate takes effect on Dec. 27, and will apply to roughly 184,000 businesses.
The government should not be mandating private businesses to implement vaccine requirements.
— Republican State Leadership Committee (@RSLC) December 6, 2021
It's unconstitutional, and state Republicans across the nation are standing up and fighting for Americans.https://t.co/OtjTjoURQk
But there are some cracks showing in the Democrats' continued push to double down on Americans with COVID restrictions. Last week, Senator Joe Manchin signed on to a Republican-sponsored resolution that would repeal the Biden Administration's OSHA vaccine mandate.
Government Executive reported:
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said in a statement on Thursday, “I do not support any government vaccine mandate on private businesses.” He also noted he co-sponsored an Occupational Safety and Health Administration resolution to undo the rule using the Congressional Review Act, an effort that regulatory experts have told Government Executive faces tough odds. “I have long said we should incentivize, not penalize, private employers whose responsibility it is to protect their employees from COVID-19,” Manchin said. So far Manchin is the only Democrat in both the House and Senate to support the resolution. While an amendment to the stopgap spending measure that would have halted the vaccine-or-test rule failed, there could be a separate vote on the matter soon.