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When kids 5 to 11 arrive at a movie theatre, after-school sports leagues or an indoor restaurant in New York City, they’ll have to show proof that they’ve received at least one dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s
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COVID-19 starting Dec. 14, the city’s Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday.
So far more than 125,000 children in New York City ages 5 to 11 have already received at least one dose, according to the city’s Department of Health. Nationally, nearly 5 million kids in that age group have received at least one dose, according to data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Monday, de Blasio also announced the first city-wide vaccine mandate for all private employers, which will take effect on Dec. 22.
Even before de Blasio made the vaccine mandate announcement, some parents jumped at the opportunity to vaccinate their kids.
Samantha Levin, pictured, with her two children after they got their first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on Nov. 8.
Elisabeth Buchwald
Samantha Levin, a New York City mother of a six-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter, told MarketWatch on Nov.8 that getting her children vaccinated “means freedom.”
“They don’t get quarantined anymore in school,” Levin said outside of the Natural History Museum, which is being used as a city vaccination site.
Immediately after CDC gave its official stamp of approval for kids to start getting vaccinated against COVID-19 on Nov. 2, San Francisco health officials announced that 5 to 11-year-olds would soon be required to show proof of vaccination for indoor activities.
That wouldn’t take effect until the beginning of next year, at the earliest so that children have ample at least two months to get vaccinated, San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip said last month.
Kids 5 and up will also be required to submit proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken 72 to 24 hours before boarding a Disney Cruise
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starting Jan. 13.
