NEW YORK — Folks who want to go to the movies, enjoy indoor dining or workout at their gym in New York City need to be at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning Tuesday, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The COVID-19 vaccine mandate, called the Key to NYC Pass, applies to all workers and patrons at indoor restaurants, fitness centers and entertainment venues. But there are subsets of those businesses and cultural institutions where the vaccine mandate also applies, such as museums, catering halls, and indoor pools.
De Blasio said while the mandate began Tuesday, enforcement will start on Sept. 13, so business owners have time to get familiar with the policy and implement it.
Businesses that don’t comply with the vaccine mandate after Sept. 13 could face fines up to or more than $1,000. Anyone caught using a fake COVID-19 vaccination card could face criminal charges for falsifying a government document, the mayor said.
Here’s a full list of where folks will have to show proof of vaccination in order to enter.
Indoor dining
- Restaurants
- Catering halls
- Hotel banquet rooms
- Bars
- Nightclubs
- Cafeterias
- Grocery stores with indoor dining
- Coffee shops
- Fast food/quick service with indoor dining
Indoor entertainment
- Movie theaters
- Music and concert venues
- Museums and galleries
- Aquariums and zoos
- Professional sports arenas
- Indoor stadiums
- Convention centers
- Exhibition halls
- Performing arts theaters
- Bowling alleys
- Arcades
- Pool and billiard halls
- Recreational game centers
- Adult entertainment
- Indoor play areas
Indoor fitness
- Gyms
- Fitness centers
- Fitness classes
- Pools
- Indoor studios
- Dance studios
Places excluded from the Key to NYC vaccine mandate
- Dining where food is consumed offsite or outdoors only.
- Note: Businesses that choose to remove indoor seating entirely are not subject to the mandate.
- Residential buildings
- Office buildings
- Child care programs
- Pre-K through Grade 12 public and non-public schools and programs
- Senior centers
- Churches hosting Sunday potlucks or similar events
- Community centers
- Charitable food services
- Catering at someone’s home
People who are exempt from the Key to NYC vaccine mandate
- Children under the age of 12.
- Anyone entering for a minimum amount of time required for a limited purpose (Examples: bathroom use, picking up or placing an order).
- Performing artists who do not reside in New York City and are not regularly employed by the entity; professional athletes and members of professional sports teams who do not reside in New York City but enter a premises for the purpose of competing; and individuals accompanying performing artists or a sports team or professional athlete as part of their regular employment and who do not reside in New York City.
- Contractors who do not reside in New York City.
Ways to show proof of COVID vaccination
- A photo or hard copy of your CDC vaccination card
- NYC COVID Safe App
- New York State Excelsior App
- Official vaccine record
- A photo or hard copy of an official vaccination record of a vaccine administered outside the United States for one of the following vaccines: AstraZeneca/SK Bioscience, Serum Institute of India/COVISHIELD and Vaxzevria, Sinopharm, or Sinovac.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect changes to the city’s list of businesses and institutions where the Key to NYC vaccine mandate is applicable.
