New York City has issued fines to over a dozen businesses for violating Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) vaccine passport requirements, the mayor announced this week.
Boasting mass compliance during a press conference this week, the Democrat mayor said the city has fined 15 businesses for failing to enforce the policy, which requires certain private businesses such as gyms and indoor restaurants to discriminate against the unvaccinated by denying them service.
“To begin with we’ve seen the launch of Key to NYC go very very smoothly,” de Blasio said.
According to the Democrat mayor, 31,000 inspections have occurred across the city “to make sure the Key to NYC approach was working.”
Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) speak during a news conference in New York on March 2, 2020, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
“And so far, after a full month, all the preparation, all the communication, all the education, there’s only been 15 violations necessary in that whole time,” he boasted.
“This is exactly what we hoped to see and what we believed we would see,” he continued, stating there have been “very, very” few problems and noting the city vaccination rate has gone up nine percent. The Democrat was particularly proud of the increase among young people ages 18-34, as the vaccination rate went up 13 percent since the policy went into effect.
The mayor said that, particularly, was their goal, because “of course” younger people want to go to restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues. Enforcement of the vaccine passport program began on September 13.
Overall, the city has issued 6,000 warnings, according to Jonnel Doris, the city’s commissioner for small business service, and most of them made adjustments.
However, the 15 businesses that failed to comply were fined $1,000 each — a heavy hit for small businesses after the mass shutdowns that plagued the city in 2020, forcing thousands of businesses to shut down.
People walk out of a store requesting that people wear masks on July 26, 2021, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
“The Key to NYC is an approach that makes clear the power of vaccination. It is the ultimate encouragement to get people vaccinated,” the mayor said in mid-August, announcing a multimillion-dollar public awareness campaign.
“We want people to enjoy the fullness of the city, but you’ve got to be vaccinated to do it,” he continued.
“If we get noncompliance after that much education or grace period, we will not hesitate to give penalties,” de Blasio warned. “We hope to not have to do that often.”
Upon announcing the Key to NYC Pass program, de Blasio asserted it is “time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life.”
Despite enforcing a coercive policy, de Blasio recently claimed he typically prefers to “respect people’s intelligence” before forcing them to get vaccinated.
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