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NEW YORK CITY – New Yorkers had mixed opinions about Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “first-in-the-nation” vaccine mandates affecting private companies and children over the age of 5.
De Blasio, who will be replaced by Mayor-elect Eric Adams on Jan. 1, announced sweeping mandates across New York City Monday in what he called a “preemptive strike” against a potential surge in COVID-19 infections amid the emergence of the omicron variant.
The new mandate would require vaccination for all workers in the private sector with no weekly testing option. The mandate takes effect Dec. 27 and will apply to around 184,000 businesses.
“It’s about time,” one New Yorker named Nancy told Fox News.
“I’m not a fan of the mayor, but at this point in time, I really don’t care who makes these sweeping mandates,” she continued. “Make them. Do it.”
One man who agreed with the mandate for private-sector employees said, “At this point… if you’re not vaccinated, what are you doing?”
“I think it’s a good idea,” said another woman.
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One NYC resident who disagreed with the new mandate said, “It’s going to be a disaster.”
“People have to have choice,” she continued, questioning the motivations of the outgoing mayor.
“I think that he has his own agenda right now,” she said. “We know that there’s a new mayor coming in, so why is he doing it now?…because he wants to run for president?”
In addition to the mandate on private companies, the mayor also announced proof of vaccination for indoor dining, fitness and entertainment will be required for children ages 5-11.
“I think it’s pretty well known that [COVID-19 is] not a big threat to children of that age, so to force the vaccine on people that young is a bit crazy,” one woman reacted.
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Others, however, were in favor of mandating child vaccinations.
“They spread it. And even if they’re not getting terribly sick themselves, they can spread it to somebody who can get very sick,” said Nancy.
Another woman who works in health care agreed: “Some people might object to their child being vaccinated, but I think that it’s better for the country to have everyone who’s eligible to just have that protection and not be able to spread the disease further.”
Teny Sahakian is an Associate Producer/Writer for Fox News. Follow Teny on Twitter at @tenysahakian.
